By Heather Ruppe
A Colleton County law enforcement officer has decided to become an official canine handler, and is now a part of the local canine team.
Colleton County Sheriff’s deputy Tyler Webster is a Round O native. He began his law enforcement career in 2019, when he joined the local law enforcement agency as a deputy.
“In the beginning of my law enforcement career, I started at the Colleton County Detention Center and then moved on to being a patrol deputy, after graduating from the (S.C.) Criminal Justice Academy,” said Webster.
Now, at 26 years old, Webster is an official canine handler. He is assigned to Buddy, his canine partner. Buddy was already an existing canine cop with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, and was in need of a new handler. Together, the two work as a pair to help locate missing children and missing adults. They also work to sniff out drug cases throughout the county.
Webster says he is happy to be a canine handler with the sheriff’s office. He said he is making a difference in his local community.
“Being a lifelong resident of Colleton County, I have seen many highs and lows within our community,” he said. “I felt that being a deputy within the sheriff’s office and joining the canine unit, and working with the most dedicated and professional individuals, would allow me to best serve my community and its people.”
Webster says he believes in the importance of having a strong canine unit as part of the sheriff’s office.
“Having multiple canines with different specialties allows the sheriff’s office to assist the citizens of the county in a variety of ways,” he said, “… as well as suppressing criminal activity within the community.”
