R.J. James formed the Charles Town Police Department K-9 Unit in the early 1990’s. James started the program with a dual-purpose narcotics/patrol dog named Eiko. Eiko worked the streets for several years until he was retired. Following Eiko James was partnered with another German shepherd named Phanto. Phanto was also a dual-purpose K-9 trained in both narcotics and patrol. Phanto was retired in 1998. The Police department operated without a K-9 unit until 2001 when K-9 Buddy was donated to the department by U.S. Customs. Buddy was a two-year old black lab and was trained only in narcotics detection. He was handled by Richard Jenkins and served with the department for two years. In 2004, another police K-9 was donated to the department. Aegis was an eight-year old Belgian Malinois. He was donated to the department by Ray Van Meter, a federal law enforcement officer. Aegis was a trained narcotics detection dog and worked for North Augusta State Police for six years before coming to Charles Town. Aegis was partnered with Sergeant Brandon Ray and served with the department for two years.  Sgt. Manning & K-9 Dak In 2007, K-9 Dak was partnered with Sergeant George Manning & placed into service. K-9 Dak, a five year old Belgian Malinois, is a dual purpose K-9. Sergeant Manning & Dak were certified through ASCT (American Society of Canine Trainers) in August 2007. K-9 Dak is trained to alert to the presence of narcotics, conduct building searches, & track suspects. K-9 Dak has already proven to be an asset to the department.
Purpose
The Charles Town Police Department uses a K-9 team for several reasons. A K-9 is the most effective system available today for locating drugs. They also serve as an invaluable tool for locating drugs in vehicles, buildings, and open areas. K-9’s serve as a strong deterrent to drug users and drug traffickers. Training After certification, K-9’s must continually be trained on a frequent basis by his/her handler to maintain skills. The K-9 team is re-certified on a annual basis. | 
