Major James Harris and the six canine officers that makeup Cookeville Police Department’s Canine (K-9) Unit serve the city through a unique combination of dedication, training, and experience. 

Reflecting on a journey to leading the department that began nearly two decades ago, Maj. Harris sees a relentless focus on education and the consistent support of city leaders as vital contributors to the growth and progress the program has made during his tenure. 

He stated, “I began my career in April of 2005 with the Cookeville Police Department after transferring from the Algood Police Department with my dual-purpose K-9 (officer) Jim.  In 2011, I became the K-9 Coordinator for our department, and in 2021, I completed a six-year course obtaining the title of Master Trainer through the North American Police Work Dog Association.” Major Harris continued, “Since I became the K-9 Coordinator, the City of Cookeville, and the Cookeville Police Department have always been a huge supporter of the K-9 Unit. Shortly after I became the coordinator, we became members of the North American Work Dog Association (NAPWDA). We began attending state and national workshops and certified our K-9 teams through the NAPWDA certification. All our K-9s go through this certification annually and training is mandated by our department for a minimum of 16 hours per month for each team. We are also members and certified through the National Narcotic Detection Dog Association.”

Since taking the reins of Cookeville Police Department’s Canine Team, Major Harris has helped refine the program through the aforementioned, unwavering commitment to learning and training, allowing the unit to provide a wide array of resources to the citizens of Cookeville. 

He stated, “Our K-9s are trained in different categories such as locating narcotics/drugs, search and rescue (SAR) tracking, criminal apprehension, building searches, area searches, article searches, and our newest K-9 is a therapy dog. These K-9s are used in lots of public relations events and their biggest fans are school kids. They also are a morale booster within the department.” Major Harris continued, “I enjoy training new teams and teaching the handlers how to build a solid team as well as molding prospect trainers for the future. I firmly believe that K-9s play a huge role in law enforcement.”

By centering his life around the Canine Unit and its officers, Major James Harris (and his fellow CPD team) has made Cookeville a safer place to live, work, and play. 

One article couldn’t hope to convey the UNCOUNTABLE ways the Cookeville Police Department Canine Unit (and the leadership of Maj. Harris) has enhanced this city and our individual lives, but we hope this feature prompts you to learn more about the ways they serve and protect YOU each day!

In that spirit, to end the article we wanted to list the names of the six active-duty canine officers currently working within the department. Thank you to these K-9 officers, their trainers/human partners, Major Harris, and the entire department for all you do and for allowing us to feature your incredible contributions to the betterment of our city in Cookeville Lifestyle Magazine. 

Current Active K-9 Officers: 

Bane – 8-year-old German Shepherd used for locating narcotics, criminal apprehension, and tracking. 

Kilo – 7-year-old Belgian Malinois used for locating narcotics, criminal apprehension, and tracking.

Rambo – 7-year-old Belgian Malinois used for locating narcotics, criminal apprehension, and tracking.

Edo – 7-year-old Malinois/German Shepherd cross used for locating narcotics, criminal apprehensions, and tracking.

Sofi – 3-year-old Malinois/German Shepherd Cross used for narcotics and tracking.

Watson – 5-year-old mix trained for therapy, assisting in different categories with victims of assault, juvenile trauma, department morale, etc.