Audrain Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit

In March of 2017 the Sheriff’s Office, with tireless work by Deputy Sheriff Derek Chism, now Sergeant Derek Chism, began the planning of reviving our K9 Program, which had been dormant for nearly 15 years. In December 2017 the first K9 the Sheriff’s Office had in nearly 15 years was selected.

K9 “Chal” is pictured with Sergeant Chism and is a German Shepherd Dog born in 2016 in the Czech Republic. Sergeant Chism and “Chal” are a “full service” team and are certified by the Missouri Police Canine Association (MPCA) and the North American Police and Working Dog Association (NAPWDA) in several areas, including obedience, tracking, narcotic detection, area and article searches, and apprehension. At the time of his entry to the United States, the K9’s name was “Evans”, but it’s somewhat common to rename police K9s. We decided to rename the dog “Chal”, to honor Audrain County Sheriff Chalmus Blum, who was shot and killed in the line of duty in 1924 in Mexico. The decision was made after speaking with the family members of Sheriff Blum who still live in the area. They felt the gesture would be an appropriate honor.

In 2021, Sheriff Oller was approached by a NAPWDA Master Trainer about K9 Apollo, who was serving with an agency that was experiencing staffing issues and was unable to provide a handler for the dog. After meeting Apollo, Sheriff Oller opted to become Apollo’s handler. Apollo is a Belgian Malinois born in 2016. The pair are also “full service” and are certified by the Missouri Police Canine Association (MPCA) and the North American Police and Working Dog Association (NAPWDA) in several areas including obedience, tracking, narcotic detection, area and article searches, and apprehension. Sheriff Oller is pictured with Apollo.

Both teams train continually to maintain their readiness and skills, which includes training monthly (at minimum) with a NAPWDA Master Trainer and/or MPCA Trainers.

For demonstrations or information about the K9 Unit please call Sergeant Derek Chism at (573) 473-5800 or Sheriff Oller at (573)473-5801 ext 1525.

Sheriff Matt Oller