Officer Joe Oberding was
hired by the Henderson
Police Department in 1998,
and he was assigned to the
K-9 Unit in 2003. Officer
Oberding is the unit's
Training Coordinator, and
he is currently working
with his two K-9 partners:
PSD "Ranger," a Dutch
Shepherd, and NDD
"Ricky," a Springer Spaniel.
Officer Oberding has
received many top awards
from K-9 competitions
including Top Dog awards
with both NDD "Ricky" and
his previous partner, PSD
"Astor," a Belgian Malinois,
who is now retired and
living at home with Officer
Oberding.
Ricky is a five-year-old
Springer Spaniel, who was
born in Canada. Ricky is
trained to detect the odor
of marijuana,
methamphetamine, cocaine
and heroin. Ricky's primary
responsibilities include
searching residential and
commercial buildings,
vehicles, open areas and
packages. Ricky has also
"sniffed" boats, airplanes,
and even a couple of
helicopters. Ricky has
been with the Henderson
Police Department and
Officer Oberding since
2005.
