EPISD K9 Team Wins El Chuco 2026 Competition at County Coliseum

John Deanda and K9 Adu from the El Paso Independent School District Police Department won the top dog title at the El Chuco 2026 K9 Competition on Friday, according to KVIA.

FortysTwo K9 teams raced against the clock at the El Paso County Coliseum, competing in narcotics detection. Teams came from El Paso, Mexico, and New Mexico. El Paso Police Department Sergeant J. Frayre and K9 Sarge finished second. Socorro Police Department Officer Ivan Sosa and K9 Mala took third place.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office hosted the competition. Deputy Raymundo Munoz said the number of participating teams doubled compared to last year, according to KVIA.

Teams navigated two challenges: one involving vehicle searching and another involving a scattered search area. Competitors had three minutes to find as many items as they could, with scores based on accuracy.

Munoz said the event gives agencies an opportunity to learn from one another. "We want to know how they trained. Of course we could. All the instructors, all the judges, we get together to improve everyone's performance, all the canine teams throughout, not only here in the United States, but also in Mexico," Munoz said, according to KVIA.

The sheriff's office created the El Chuco competition after seeing a similar event hosted by an agency in Brownsville, Texas, Munoz said.