Pflugerville police K-9s Inka, Scorpio retire

Two K-9 officers are retiring after sniffing crime out of Pflugerville for more than 12 combined years.

The Pflugerville Police Department celebrated Inka and Scorpio’s years of service during a brief ceremony Jan. 30 in front of the Pflugerville Justice Center. The Belgian Malinois dogs received bone-shaped treats, a gift bag and plaques signifying their dedication to keeping narcotics off Pflugerville streets.

“These K-9s were able to accomplish the work of several officers with the help of their handlers,” said Chief Jessica Robledo. “Now it’s our turn to say thank you and give these dogs a chance to enjoy chasing squirrels instead of criminals.”

Scorpio was trained in the detection of narcotics and human tracking. He is originally from Europe and spent a short time training in Mexico before coming to work with handler Cpl. Cody Irby on patrol.

Scorpio once found about 3 pounds of methamphetamine inside a vehicle and has helped agencies as far away as Houston and as close as Round Rock and Hutto.

Irby said Scorpio has been his best friend and loyal partner for the past five years. Being his handler has been the highlight of his career, he said.

“I know it will be difficult for him to stay at home since he loves his work, but he has the very important job of looking after my newborn son now,” Irby said of Scorpio.

Inka has been integral to significant arrests for the Police Department and partnering agencies. Her handler, Officer Joseph Townes, said Inka’s keen nose for danger has kept him safe from harm.

During her time as a K-9 in Pflugerville, Inka has located kilos of narcotics and hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal money used to distribute narcotics.

Inka is retiring at age 8½, and Scorpio is about 9 years old. Both dogs will continue to live with their handlers for the remainder of their lives.

The Police Department is working to expand the use of its three-unit K-9 team and plans to acquire two more dogs this year that will be trained in both narcotics and patrol duties. This year, the department won a $1,000 grant through an online voting contest that was used to buy an updated alert and deployment system for a K-9 vehicle.