Waxahachie PD K-9 team wins 1st place in USPCA competition

WAXAHACHIE – They came, they saw, they conquered.

Recently, the Waxahachie Police Department K-9 team participated in and won First Place in the Narcotics Detection in Rooms and Vehicles competition.

The competition win was awarded by the United States Police Canine Association to Officer Curtis Farmer and three-year-old, German Shepherd K-9 Mattis.

“Our K-9 teams are associated with the United States Police Canine Association, and they compete in a yearly qualification/competition, which was held in Greenville Texas this year,” said Waxahachie Police Department CID & Canine Sergeant Chance Huckabee.

Farmer and Mattis qualified and won first place during the region’s yearly qualification.

The win then qualified the team for the Narcotic Nationals.

“Teams and judges from around the country will compete in two events narcotic detection of vehicle and rooms,” Huckabee added about the upcoming national event, held in September in Lowndes County, Geo.

Farmer has been in law enforcement for approximately 16 years and has previously served on SWAT.

Mattis is his first K-9 assignment.

“I went to Florida in September of 2020 to select and train Mattis,” Farmer said. “I came back to Waxahachie in November of 2020 to start working the street, so we have been on the road just under two years.”

The Waxahachie Police Department currently has one K-9 team. Mattis is duel trained in the detection of narcotics and apprehension of suspects.

The department has been associated with USPCA since 2013.