GEORGETOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Georgetown Police Department has a new four-legged member on the force — and he's already making an impact.
K9 "Flash" arrived at the Georgetown Police Department three weeks ago, making him one of only 6 electronic storage detection K9s in Kentucky. Flash is trained to sniff out the chemical compound found in flash drives, cell phones and even micro SD cards — devices that can hold critical evidence in child exploitation cases.
Flash came to the department through Our Rescue, a nonprofit organization battling sex trafficking and child exploitation. Our Rescue works alongside law enforcement to help remove victims from harm, partners with survivors to deliver essential care, and donates electronic storage detection K9s to law enforcement agencies. That means Flash came at no cost to the department — food, vet care and all.
Detective Blaker Lizer, Flash's handler, said the arrangement benefits everyone.
"The agency and community are out zero dollars, it didn't cost us anything to have him," Lizer said.
The Georgetown Police Department has an ongoing commitment to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Flash is now a key part of that work. Police Chief Darin Allgood described how Flash fits into high-stakes searches.
"Typically, when we get finished with our search, we'll bring in Flash to make sure we didn't miss anything, call it 'another set of eyes,' if you will," Allgood said.
Just three weeks into his role, Flash has already proven his value. Lizer described one of Flash's first successful finds.
"US probation reached out about a convicted sex offender they were doing a search warrant on and they asked for his assistance, and he successfully found a device hidden in a toolbox in a garage," Lizer said.
Allgood said Flash has also been a boost to morale around the department.
"Everybody stops what they're doing, takes a few minutes to talk to him, he's well liked already," Allgood laughed.
When Flash isn't on duty, he goes home with Lizer and his family.
"My kids are in love with him. When we go home, the vest comes off and he's just a member of the family," Lizer said.
Allgood said he looks forward to what Flash will accomplish in the years ahead.
"I'm excited to see what he does in the future because I know he'll be able to help a lot of victims and put a lot of bad people in jail, so that's what we're excited for," Allgood said.
Our Rescue supported 195 rescue missions and aided in 1,969 arrests of sex trafficking perpetrators in 2024 alone.
