Deputy Satterfield joined Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office in Oct. 2019, bringing more than five years of experience from other metro agencies. “Deputy Satterfield has been a great addition to our office. His positive attitude and hard work show his dedication to this office and Cleveland County.” Amason said. Being a K-9 handler requires not only dedication to the job and the county, but a dedication to training and education. Being a K-9 handler is not easy assignment, it consists of extra hours to train and care for the K-9 daily. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office requires monthly training as a team, “We want to make sure we are upholding the highest level of training available” says Amason, “we regularly train in searching for drugs, tracking individuals, and search and rescue. The more we are able to train as a team, the better we will be in an intense situation”.
Since the start of his law enforcement career, Satterfield had expressed an interest in the K-9 program “I knew I would enjoy the challenges and I am excited to watch the K-9 excel and be utilized for their trained purpose.”
When Sheriff Amason was elected, the Sheriff’s Office had two handlers for three K-9’s. Filling this position quickly became a top priority. Sheriff Amason explained that having three K-9 handlers allows the Sheriff’s Office to spread their resources throughout the county. There will now be two K-9 teams for patrol and one in the Detention Center.
Deputy Satterfield has been paired with K-9 Hevey, who has been with the Sheriff’s office since Aug. 2018. Satterfield says that he and Hevey are bonding well and training is going great.