The Hawai‘i County Police Department (HPD) recently welcomed K9 Trina to the department during a ceremony at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center. The ceremony, co-hosted by the Hawai‘i Island K9 Association, also recognized the completion of the association’s Kona kennel improvement project.

Trina, a three-year-old Labrador Retriever, is paired with canine handler Officer Christopher Ross of the Area II Juvenile Aid Section. The team is assigned to track missing children and endangered adults island-wide. Trina replaces K9 Argo, who retired in 2023 after five years of dedicated service to Hawaiʻi Island.

Trained as a live-find human tracking canine, Trina was acquired through a $25,000 donation from the Hawaiʻi Island K9 Association. The donation covered the cost of acquiring Trina, her transport to Hawaiʻi Island, and both handler and canine training.

Born in Sweden, Trina received initial training at Ultimate K9 in Westfield, Indiana. She and Officer Ross completed an additional 40-hour training with retired Honolulu Police Department canine trainer Corporal Wayne Silva. That training was also funded through the Association’s donation.