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<p>LARKSVILLE &#8212; K9 police officer Una once located a suspect hiding under floorboards.</p><p>She is trained to detect gunshot residue and illegal narcotics.</p><p>She is capable of deterring crime simply by her presence, Larksville police say.</p><p>Yet, she has a pleasant disposition that makes her popular with borough residents.</p><p>It was that disposition that helped Una win a $500 grant from Aftermath Services, which was awarded on Wednesday.</p><p>Early in October people were able to vote online once a day for K9 officers entered in a nationwide contest.</p><p>And vote they did &#8212; over 10,000 times for Una, with the Larskville K9 coming in fourth out of 3,000 nominees.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of K9 dogs have to be muzzled,&#8221; Larksville Police Chief John Edwards said. &#8220;But Una is able to interact with residents.&#8221;</p><p>The grant will be used to help pay for some of Una&#8217;s basic needs.</p><p>Aftermath Senior Manager of Law Enforcement Relations John Tyler said he was impressed with the commitment of area residents to their police department and its K9 officer.</p><p>Coming in fourth, he said, was a huge accomplishment for such a small police department in a borough with such a small population.</p><p>&#8220;Other municipalities are huge,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We estimate that nearly 10 percent of Larksville residents took the time to vote for Una, most more than once.&#8221;</p><p>The contest was originally crafted to grant only one prize at $ 5,000.</p><p>But because of the enthusiastic response for many of the K9 officers, Tyler said five prizes were awarded.</p><p>Tyler said Aftermath, a company that does crime scene cleanup, has a commitment to supporting law enforcement.</p><p>When the company reached out to law enforcement officials to better understands their needs, they determined that support of K9 officers was a significant concern for many of them, he said.</p><p>And although the effort was technically a &#8220;contest,&#8221; Tyler said he feels all participating departments benefited and supported each other.</p><p>Larksville police officer Josh Evans, Una&#8217;s handler and partner, said being the resource officer for the Wyoming Valley West High School resulted in many votes being cast by teachers and students.</p><p>&#8220;We had one teacher who put an email out everyday, reminding other teachers to vote for Una,&#8221; he said.</p><p>And although the presence of Una at the high school acts as a deterrent to criminal activity, many students simply enjoy having a dog at school, Evans said.</p><p>Many of the votes for Una, he said, came from students.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Larksville K-9 Officer Joshua Evans and his partner Una a German Shepherd received a $500 K-9 grant from Aftermath Services on Wednesday at the Larksville Police Dept. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_k9grant01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Larksville K-9 Officer Joshua Evans and his partner Una a German Shepherd received a $500 K-9 grant from Aftermath Services on Wednesday at the Larksville Police Dept. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_k9grant02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larksville police officer Joshua Evans, center, accepts a $500 check from John Tyler of Aftermath Services on Wednesday at the Larksville Police Department. The grant is to be used for basic needs of the police department&#8217;s K-9, Una. Looking on is Police Chief John Edwards. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_k9grant02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Larksville police officer Joshua Evans, center, accepts a $500 check from John Tyler of Aftermath Services on Wednesday at the Larksville Police Department. The grant is to be used for basic needs of the police department&#8217;s K-9, Una. Looking on is Police Chief John Edwards. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Larksville&#8217;s Una finishes fourth in online contest</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Larksville police K9 finishes fourth in online contest