THOMASVILLE — Thomasville Police Department recently made history by announcing its first female K-9 officer, Officer Haley Jensen. Officer Jensen joined Thomasville Police Department in December 2017. She completed K-9 handler training in October 2019.

“When I joined TPD, becoming a K-9 handler was my dream job,” Officer Jensen said. “Being able to make my dream come true while serving and protecting my community is a great feeling.” 

The dream didn’t come easily, though, she said. 

“I had to successfully complete a rigorous K-9 tryout and attend a four-week K-9 handler training course with my K-9 partner, Kaiko,” Jensen added.

Chief Troy Rich said he had no doubt that Jensen would excel in her training. 

“Officer Jensen has always demonstrated the skills, ability, performance, and attitude to succeed,” Rich continued, “She is an impressive officer with the drive to be the best in everything that she does.”  

Jensen’s partner, K-9 Kaiko, is a two-and-a-half-year-old Dutch Shepherd who was already a certified K-9 for law enforcement prior to Jensen receiving him. He also underwent extensive training in order to serve and protect our community alongside Jensen. All of TPD’s K-9s are trained in obedience, handler protection, criminal apprehension, tracking, article searching, and drug detection. 

With Officer Jensen joining the team, TPD continues to have three K-9s available that are embedded into the patrol teams on rotating shifts. 

“Adding Jensen to our K-9 squad only elevates our department to the next level,” said Rich. “I am proud of her dedication and commitment to both our department and community. She is an inspiration to all, but especially female officers joining law enforcement agencies.”

Jensen said she is proud to serve the community with her K-9. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” she said. “I was not looking to set records by becoming a K-9 officer, but I am proud of what I’ve been able to achieve at this point of my career. I hope to be an example for young women interested in a career in law enforcement.”