K-9 Unit

"MPD K-9s will serve the community for a few kind words and a pat on the head."

Officer TJ San Miguel, an 18-year law enforcement veteran, is partnered with K-9 Kona, a 15-month-old Belgian Malinois from the Netherlands. He enjoys learning new skills, greeting fellow officers and chewing on deer antlers. The team is eager to serve the Marysville community. 

Officer TJ San Miguel standing with K-9 KonaK-9 Kona (2)

K-9 Charlie is a 23-month-old German Shepherd born in Uedem, Germany, on Jan. 1, 2024. After a brief time in Canada, he was selected to join the Marysville Police Department and is paired with Officer Calen Roberts. K-9 Charlie loves prancing around his property with a toy in his mouth, playing fetch with his Kong and mastering new training exercises.

K-9 Charlie smilingK-9 Charlie

The former K-9 teams of Officer Derek Oates and K-9 Copper, and Sgt. Brad Smith and K-9 Steele 

K-9 Copper & Officer Derek OatesK9 Copper is sitting on the grass next to Officer Derek Oates who is kneeling down and smiling


K-9 Copper, a German shepherd born in 2015, joined Marysville PD in 2016 and served alongside Officer Derek Oates, a veteran officer with assignments in SWAT, firearms instruction and peer support. Officer Oates has served in the Marysville Police Department since 2001. Officer Oates holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies, Youth and Family Ministry with emphasis in Counseling from Trinity Lutheran College. Copper enjoyed catching bad guys and finding drugs.

K9 Steele seen sitting in front of patrol car, alongside Officer Brad Smith who is smilingK-9 Steele & Sgt. Brad Smith


K-9 Steele, a Belgian Malinois also born in 2015, served Marysville for more than eight years alongside Sgt. Brad Smith, a 20-year law enforcement veteran and certified master handler in narcotics detention. The pair led countless successful deployments and participated in extensive community outreach. Together, these teams set the standard for excellence in K-9 policing across Snohomish County.

K-9 Unit group photo shows Ofc. Brad Smith and Steele alongside Ofc. Derek Oates and Copper

K-9 Copper died Oct. 3, 2025, following emergency surgery. Just days later, on Oct. 16, K-9 Steele passed peacefully. Both dogs leave behind a legacy of public safety, partnership and unwavering devotion to the city they protected. Together, they completed more than 600 patrol and narcotics deployments, contributed to nearly 400 arrests and helped remove dangerous drugs from Marysville’s streets. Their work supported high-risk operations, search warrants and countless moments of connection with residents during community events.

Dual purpose K-9s

In 2016, the Marysville Police K-9 Unit changed from single purpose K-9s to dual purpose with the additions of K-9 Steele and K-9 Copper. For the first time in the unit’s history, the K-9s were trained in Patrol work and Narcotic Detection. Having dual purpose K-9s allow for more opportunities for deployments, thus increasing our opportunities to capture suspects and remove narcotics from the streets.

When the K-9s are doing their patrol duties, their primary jobs are to locate and apprehend suspects or people involved in criminal activity, and to help officers locate evidence. Additionally, the K-9s can also provide physical and psychological protection to officers when necessary and practical.

While the patrol duty of the K-9s is typically used for most felony-related crimes, such as robbery, burglary, assaults and occasionally for domestic violence crimes, the dogs can also help search for missing people (but only under extreme circumstances).

When the K-9s are doing Narcotic Detection, their duty is to locate the odor of narcotics in various locations, such as cars or buildings. The use of Narcotics Detection K-9 is used to gain probable cause for search warrants or to help locate narcotics during the service of a search warrant. The dogs are typically deployed when officers stop vehicles and believe that narcotics may be present.


Retired K-9s

The Marysville K-9 Unit was established in 2002 through generous community donations that led to the purchase of two German Shepherds - Radar and Shadow. Later donations allowed the purchase of Marysville’s first narcotics-detecting K-9, Brody.  In 2016, the K-9 Unit was able to purchase K-9 Steele, a Belgian Malinois, and K-9 Copper, a German Shepherd, through federal grants.

K-9 RadarPatrol
K-9 ShadowPatrol
K-9 BrodyNarcotic
K-9 HawkeyePatrol
K-9 KatyNarcotic
K-9 RangerPatrol
K-9 Copper Narcotic | Patrol 
K-9 SteeleNarcotic | Patrol 
  1. Can I donate to the K9 program?
  2. What do donations to the K9 program fund?
  3. How much does it cost to purchase a new K9?
View All FAQs