10/10/2026
Pictured below is Kelso Police Officer David Sytsma with “Dixie,” our newly acquired dual-purpose Wellness / Electronic Storage Detection canine. Dixie is already proving to be a valuable addition to our KPD family in support our employee wellness program. She is also secondarily trained to detect a wide spectrum of digital electronic storage media devices that are commonly used among child sexual abuse offenders to store, share and trade images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. ESD K9s have proven to be very effective to law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of offenders involved in child sexual abuse cases.
Officer Sytsma and Dixie recently completed two weeks of intense training in Indiana and they will now be a valuable resource to our law enforcement partners in Cowlitz County as we collectively work together to identify and hold accountable those offenders who engage in the solicitation, receipt, collection, dissemination and use of child sexual abuse materials.
You will likely see Dixie at many city functions and events going forward.
