Meet Carmen Davenport of Maricopa County Sherriffs Office Posse Canine Unit-MARK9

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Davenport.

Carmen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I, Carmen Davenport, started to look into Search and Rescue with canines 4 years ago with no luck. Asking everyone I Ubered in my car to google search and then finally took to Facebook asking anyone how I could I get into this awesome field. Then lo and behold my sister-in-law that lives in Durango, Colorado as a court reporter said she has a defense attorney she works with there that might have a contact with someone here in the Phoenix area.

So that person contacted me two and a half years ago and got me connected with Mark9 here in Phoenix and the rest is history. It has been an awesome journey and also very rewarding. It is all volunteer but you have to commit to all the classes and be willing to drop everything to help out the team. I present to schools and many other organizations our program on the hope it will help them in the future. I am working on certifying my dog, Hazel. Which takes a minimum of 2 years.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a learning experience for me. I have never been involved in anything like this. I waited for my three children to graduate college and my older dogs to pass away of natural causes before I started. It was very difficult for me for the first year to be accepted because the group has been well established for many years and a lot of people join and then quit because of the time it takes to train. You have to prove yourself to the team that you are super committed to the cause.

First, you have to join the MCSO Sheriffs office, background check, fingerprint and polygraphed and interviewed. You have to take a two day SAR seminar class then after that working out with the team two weekends a month you have to be accepted to the MARK9 group with another interview. Along the way, after being accepted there are many classed to take, Arizona Wilderness first aid, CPR, Search classes, helicopter training, GPS classes and orienteering and compassing plus presentations which I love. You also have to purchase all your gear, which is costly.

This is why they interview you so you aware what you are getting into. Once that was established I became part of the group and love it. I participate in lots of seminars on how to become a better handler and searcher.

Maricopa County Sherriffs Office Posse Canine Unit-MARK9 – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Mark9 has been so rewarding to me. I had volunteered a little throughout my life with kids schools and things but nothing prepared me for what volunteering for an organization like this would bring to me. We are searching for missing persons alive or dead. Trying to bring closure to the families. I am one of the newest posse members so I have not personally found anyone but I have been support for the handlers that are searching.

Our group works tirelessly for days and days searching for people. Ages range from 81- 30 from all walks of life with all different backgrounds, from doctors to retail merchandisers. And we work together to find them with all the knowledge of everyone. It is truly amazing. We also do lots of presentations called Hug A Tree to school children on what to do if they get lost on what to do. If we can save one child from getting hurt or dying we have done our job.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
First and foremost we love to find live subjects and bring them home to their families. That is the best and most rewarding. If that does not happen we will keep searching for the person for days just so they know what happened to their loved one. Finding anything would be a success because sometimes you don’t and that is super frustrating for us. We spend hours and hours looking for days hoping for success. Our dogs are highly trained. They spend hours training just for that one success.

Pricing:

• 5,000 spent on gear. Boots, backpacks, crates, GPS, sleeping bags etc
• 3,000 spent on seminars and gas too and from training
• 2,000 or more on food and vet appointments

Contact Info:

• Address: 37825 N. 18th St. Phoenix, Az 85086
• Website: www.MARICOPAK9.com
• Phone: 602-397-0693
• Email: carmendavenport@cox.net
• Facebook: Maricopa K9 Search & Rescue

Image Credit:
Debi Moreash

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