The San Diego County Sheriff's Department's first search and rescue bloodhound is ready to deploy with the department.
Albert joined the Sheriff's Search and Rescue K-9 Unit in January 2022 as a 13-week-old puppy. CBS 8 has been following his journey. He spent more than a year training to become certified. He graduated from training at the end of March 2023 and received his badge from Sheriff Kelly A. Martinez.
"It was pretty exciting," said Albert's handler, Pam Medhurst. She's been a volunteer with the unit for 24 years.
"It was a lot of work, pretty intense training. It was a relief and a joy to be able to bring that back to the department," she added.
Albert's mission is to help find missing and at-risk people.
"I think [when people see] Albert, it’s hope for the family," said Medhurst. "They are able to see 'Yes, we have all these dogs out, all these searchers out and we also have Albert.' So they know we’re doing everything we possibly can to find their missing loved one."
Albert was donated to the sheriff's department by the Honorary Deputy Sheriff's Association. He is named in memory of Sgt. Don Albert Parker, who was a 25-year veteran of the sheriff's department and served as unit leader of search and rescue squad for nine years. He died of brain cancer in 2018. Albert and his handler are members of the National Police Bloodhound Association. The group is composed solely of sworn members of law enforcement.
Medhurst and Albert completed their certification during training and testing in Los Angeles in February.
The Sheriff's Search and Rescue team is an all-volunteer unit. It performs wilderness and urban rescues and searches for missing people. Teams are available 24 hours a day to respond to local, state and federal agency requests. They also help the sheriff's department with evacuations during wildfires, flash floods and other natural disasters. If you would like to become a volunteer, click here.