ALL IN A DAY'S W RK

Meet officer Powell and his K9 partner Erin.

by MICHELLE NUNNALLY

Serving and protecting Henry County is the business of Officer Todd Powell and his K9 partner, Erin. Officer Powell has been in law enforcement in Henry County for 13 years and a member of the Henry County Police Department since July 2021.

Officer Powell first met and began training with his K9 partner when she was just 14-months-old. Erin was born in Hungary nearly six years ago – even has a Hungarian passportwhere she received special law enforcement training from birth. Erin is an Explosive Ordnance Detection K9 (EOD K9).

“She is certified on 27 different odors,” explains Officer Powell. “Her skills enable her to detect explosive compounds, including ammunition and firearms.”

Work days for Officer Powell and Erin may include investigating suspicious packages, making sure areas are safe after a bomb threat is received, or locating weapons used in a crime.

“Erin has located the murder weapon in six murders so far in her career,” says Officer Powell.

Both Officer Powell and Erin are certified through the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). They frequently train with K9 teams throughout the state and respond to calls across Georgia. “Some of these are emergency situations, while others are more routine in nature such as sweeping the Israeli Embassy in Atlanta,” explains Officer Powell.

Among the highlights of the K9 team’s career has been working the Masters and an SEC Championship game. But Officer Powell says he and Erin’s top assignment was working alongside the FBI and Secret Service to ensure a venue was secure for a presidential candidate.

In order to keep Erin ready for whatever situation arises, Officer Powell knows training is his job as her handler. “Erin must be in good physical shape for the demands of the job. She must constantly be exposed to training scenarios so that she continues to recognize the explosives odors,” says Officer Powell. It’s also important that Erin is non-aggressive to strangers and can behave passively as she often works around people.

When off-duty, Erin is a member of Officer Powell’s family. Both Officer Powell and his wife were born and raised in Henry County and have two grown children.