The DeSoto County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Unit is comprised of volunteers who must be legally qualified to hold the office of Deputy Sheriff of DeSoto County.  Each applicant must be approved by both the Commander of the Unit and the Sheriff before being allowed to join the unit.  Candidates must be 21 years old or older, successfully pass a thorough background check, and have their employer's approval to respond during work hours. 

Search and Rescue (SAR) means finding or rescuing a person who becomes lost, injured, or killed while in the out-of-doors, or as a result of a disaster.  Search also applied to retrieving an object, such as a piece of evidence or the property of a citizen.

Special SAR teams include K-9 team, Dive team, Visual Tracking Team, Swift Water Rescue Team and Boat Crew Teams.

The DeSoto County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Unit is known throughout the region for excellence and professionalism.  It is, therefore, often requested to participate in and sometimes mange searches in other counties and states and even on the federal level.

The Unit search responsibility doesn't stop at the county line, but extends to any point where assistance is needed, when that assistance is requested by an authorized agency.

Network of Canine Detection Services (NOCDS) Training

You may print out the 2005 NOCDS training information and registration form from this website by clicking here.  This form requires the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in.  Click here to download this FREE utility from Adobe.