A distinguished career is marked by unwavering dedication and exceptional service

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Nov. 17, 2023) – The Gwinnett County Police Department announced the retirement of K9 Elsa, badge #2109A, this month.

Staff from the department and the veterinary team made the joint decision to retire K9 Elsa after 8 years of service due to her advancing age and noticeable reduction in performance abilities. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners during their Nov. 7 meeting approved K9 Elsa to retire under the care of her devoted handler, Cpl. A. Hylton, for the remainder of her life.

“The contributions of K9 Elsa over her celebrated career, in addition to rest of our K9 teams, have had a positive impact on the safety of our community over the last several years,” said Steve Shaw, Deputy Chief of Police. “With primary functions of locating critical missing persons and children, apprehending offenders who flee and detecting narcotics and evidence, K9 Elsa’s work with Gwinnett County Police demonstrates the excellence of this department and all of its members.”

According to Shaw, K9 Elsa’s distinguished career with the Gwinnett County Police Department was marked by unwavering dedication and exceptional service. Over the years, she was deployed on an impressive 545 calls for service and was responsible for 51 patrol apprehensions, 87 narcotic apprehensions and 133 evidence recoveries.

“Her outstanding contributions played a vital role in ensuring the safety of our police officers and the residents of Gwinnett County,” said Shaw.