Nebraska State Patrol Welcomes Two New K9s to the Ranks

July 2, 2026 (Kearney, Neb.)  — The Nebraska State Patrol is proud to announce the addition of two new dogs to the NSP Police Service Dog Unit.

PSD Phoenix and PSD RJ have recently completed their certification and are now on the road serving Nebraska. The training and certification process takes the dogs approximately four months to complete alongside their Trooper handlers.

RJ is a 1 ½ year old Belgian Malinois. He is originally from Poland and was purchased for NSP by the Nebraska State Patrol Foundation following a generous donation from Shari and Jim Koelzer to honor Ryan J. Koelzer, for whom RJ is named. RJ is certified in Narcotics Detection, Patrol, Tracking, and Evidence Recovery. He is stationed in Kearney.

Phoenix is a 4 ½ year old Belgian Malinois. He is originally from the Czech Republic and was donated to NSP by the Omaha Police Department. Phoenix is certified in Narcotics Detection, Patrol, Tracking, and Evidence Recovery. He is stationed in North Platte.