Wilkes-Barre Police K-9 Unit

We are proud to announce the graduation and certification of TWO Wilkes-Barre City Police Department K-9 Teams!

First, the newest members of the Unit, Ptlm. Derenick and K-9 Ryan. They are a certified narcotics detection team and will be completing patrol school in the fall. K-9 Ryan is named after the late Officer Ryan Allen, a K-9 handler from Hatboro P.D. who tragically lost his life far too young. Ryan was a dear friend to Sgt. Homza and the entire Penn Vet Working Dog Center community. We are proud to honor his legacy with his namesake

Next, Sgt. Homza and K-9 Emma have completed their training as a certified dual purpose explosives detection team.

We are excited to see all the good work these teams will do. 💪🏼🐾

HBD Tenshi! 💪🏼🐾

Happy 3rd birthday Tenshi! Tenshi (Donated by the Malinois Mafia in honor of Frank Tundo and Doctor Karen Wroblewski) is a dual purpose police K9 for Wilkes Barre City PD partnered Richard Olshefski.
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PC: Wise K9 Photography

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Emma - WBPD Explosives Detection K9

We were happy to meet Emma yesterday. Emma is a 2 year old dual purpose explosive detection K9.

Her handler is Sgt Joe Homza of the Wilkes Barre City Police K9 Unit and ESU commander.

I regularly communicate with Sgt Homza in an effort to take advantage of free training opportunities for smaller agencies, and to expand knowledge of resources that may be available in the event of a critical incindent.

Sgt Homza is a true professional in policing. It was nice to meet his new partner.

I know a lot of our friends and followers are animal lovers so I thought I would share.

Emma is a good girl and photogenic as you can see.

Happy Birthday K-9 Emma! 💪🏼🐾

Honored to be able to represent our Department and our Training Group for our brothers and sisters from SPD.

K-9 Leads the Way. 💪🏼🐾

Our condolences to Officer Grippo and the Scranton Police Department - City of Scranton, PA.

Officer Grippo and Scout went to K-9 school with both Tenshi and Emma, and are members of our in-service training group where we spent two days a month training together.

Scout will be missed.

🙏🏼🐾

💙💔 LODD - K-9 SCOUT 💔💙

The Scranton Police Department Mourns the Loss of Newly Certified Police K-9 "Scout"

The Scranton Police Department is deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of Police K-9 "Scout" on December 3, 2025, as a result of suffering an unexpected medical emergency.

K-9 "Scout" had recently completed his K-9 academy training and was prepared to begin active duty alongside his handler, Officer Matthew Grippo. Although he had just hit the streets, K-9 "Scout" had already shown exceptional promise, dedication, and enthusiasm throughout his training. He was poised to become and outstanding asset to the department and the community he was set to serve.

Despite rapid veterinary intervention at PennVet-The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, K-9 "Scout's" condition deteriorated quickly. His loss has brought profound sadness to Officer Grippo and the entire Scranton Police Department.

K-9 "Scout" had just begun his journey, and his potential was evident from day one. He already was a valued part of our police family.

The Scranton Police Department expresses it gratitude for the ongoing support and extends its heartfelt thanks to the medical professionals at PennVet for their invaluable assistance.

Rest in Peace K-9 "Scout" 🐕‍🦺🌈💔💙

Congratulations to Sgt. Homza and K-9 Emma for graduating from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center Patrol Class 12.

Over the last 12 weeks, the Team underwent a grueling training curriculum to include 480 hours of Canimetrics, agility, obedience, building search, evidence search, tracking, apprehension, tactics, C-TCCC (Tactical Medicine) and so much more. We even found time to begin imprinting Emma on Explosive odor to get a head start for Detector school in the spring.

We look forward to getting on the street and putting our training to the test.

(Photos courtesy of Wise K9 Photography)

Wonderful day for all involved. 💪🏼🐾