Three troopers recently graduated from the Indiana State Police K-9 Academy in Indianapolis. Trooper William Carlson and his K-9 partner Cooper, Trooper Benjamin Beers and his K-9 partner Zero, and Trooper Logan Hensley and his K-9 partner Kai, all successfully completed the training in December 2022.
Trooper William Carlson is a seven-year veteran of the Indiana State Police. During his tenure, he has served the department as a drug recognition expert (DRE), a member of the mobile field force team (MFF), instructor in control tactics, and as a field training officer (FTO). Cooper is a 1 ½ year old German Shepherd.
Trooper Benjamin Beers is a five-year veteran of the Indiana State Police. Trooper Beers has been assigned to the Indiana Toll Road his entire career. During his tenure, he has served the department as an FTO, and was recognized as the Trooper of the District (Toll Road) in 2020. He was the top O.W.I. enforcement recipient for the Toll Road in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2021, he led the State of Indiana in O.W.I. arrests. Trooper Beers and Zero will be transferring to the Lowell Post in spring of 2023. Zero is a 1 ½ year old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix.
Trooper Logan Hensley is a previous K-9 handler to Zeus, who passed away in 2022. Trooper Hensley has been assigned to the Indiana Toll Road for the last four years. During his tenure, he has been a member of the All Crimes Policing Team, K-9 handler, and FTO. Trooper Hensley wanted to honor his previous partner by naming his new partner Kai, which is short for Kairos, who was the son of Zeus. Kai is a 1 ½ year old German Shepherd. Trooper Hensley and Kai will remain assigned to the Indiana Toll Road.
The Indiana State Police K9 Academy is 12 weeks long and held in Indianapolis. All the troopers and their K-9 partners complete over 400 hours of training together. They receive training in obedience, tracking, area search, building search, article search, apprehension, and narcotic detections. The Indiana State Police currently has 34 patrol K-9 teams and six explosive detection K-9 Teams.
*Photo from left to right- Trooper Beers, Trooper Carlson, and Trooper Hensley.