Centralia Police K9 Demo Draws Crowd at Town Hall

Centralia Police showcase K9 units' capabilities at community event

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The Centralia Police Department held a town hall meeting where they demonstrated the skills of their K9 units, K9 Hector and K9 Havik, to a large crowd of curious community members. Officers Daniel Cox and Kyle Stockdale ran the dogs through obedience, area search, and simulated criminal apprehension exercises, highlighting the specialized training and capabilities of police K9s.

Why it matters

Police K9 units play an important role in law enforcement, providing enhanced search and apprehension abilities that can help protect officers from dangerous situations. The Centralia Police Department's K9 program is funded through public donations, underscoring the community's interest and support for these specialized units.

The details

To become certified for K9 patrol in Washington, teams must complete 400 hours of training, with existing handlers requiring 200 hours for new K9s. The dogs are trained to detect human scent and track suspects, as well as serve as a less-lethal use of force option. The Centralia PD's K9 units, Hector and Havik, demonstrated their skills in obedience, area searches, and simulated criminal apprehension for the town hall attendees.

  • The Centralia Police Department held the town hall meeting on Thursday, February 20, 2026.
  • Officer Daniel Cox graduated from the K9 training program in December 2025.
  • Officer Kyle Stockdale trained his K9 partner Havik in Spokane over 10 weeks.

The players

Andy Caldwell

Centralia Police Department Chief.

Daniel Cox

Centralia Police Officer, handler of K9 Hector.

Kyle Stockdale

Centralia Police Officer, handler of K9 Havik.

Hector

A year-and-a-half-old Belgian Malinois K9 from the Netherlands, partnered with Officer Cox.

Havik

A German shepherd K9, partnered with Officer Stockdale.

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What they’re saying

“Everybody loves dogs”

— Andy Caldwell, Centralia Police Department Chief (chronline.com)

“If we find someone, and they make some sort of excuse, like, 'Well it wasn't me, you must have tracked someone else here,' it's like, 'No, we tracked from the car that you stole and ran from, and now we're here, and your stuff was in the car, too,'”

— Kyle Stockdale, Centralia Police Officer (chronline.com)

“The K9 program, it's really important to recognize that what it does is it protects officers. So for every time a K9 has to attack or go after a suspect, that's one time that we don't have to have an officer exposed at that risk, and that dog takes that risk for us.”

— Andy Caldwell, Centralia Police Department Chief (chronline.com)

What’s next

The Centralia Police Department's K9 program is funded through public donations, and the Centralia Police K9 Association supports the program. Community members can follow the association's Facebook page to stay up to date on the K9 unit's activities.

The takeaway

The Centralia Police Department's K9 demonstration at the town hall meeting showcased the specialized capabilities of these units, which can enhance law enforcement's ability to apprehend suspects and protect officers, while also fostering community engagement and support for the program.