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The Art of Indirection Mini Series: From 22-Year-Old Rookie to Running a State Interdiction Unit
Description
On this episode we sit down with Brandon Deckert, a Wyoming Highway Patrol Sergeant whose career has been built on the front lines of criminal interdiction and K-9 operations.
Born and raised in northern Minnesota, he began his law enforcement career with the Wyoming Highway Patrol in 2007 at just 22 years old after earning a degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. In 2011, he was selected for the WHP K-9 Team, where he has handled three single-purpose narcotics detection dogs and built a reputation as a dedicated interdiction officer.
In 2023, Brandon was promoted to Sergeant, supervising Uinta and Lincoln Counties in Troop “D” while serving as the Wyoming Highway Patrol K-9 Team Coordinator. In 2025, he transitioned into the Special Operations Division, where he now supervises a full-time interdiction team and oversees the statewide K-9 Unit.
His work in interdiction earned him the Rocky Mountain HIDTA Interdiction Officer of the Year Award in 2021. Outside of law enforcement, Brandon is a Christian, a father of three, and the owner of True North K-9 Solutions, helping agencies build stronger K-9 programs through training, risk assessments, documentation, and detection dog development.
In this conversation, we go beyond the uniform and around the bourbon barrel to talk about K-9 culture, interdiction, leadership, faith, and building programs that actually work on the street.
Timestamps:
03:00 Minnesota Roots
06:05 Becoming Trooper
11:00 Communication Skills
16:20 Sports & Football
18:20 K-9 Inspiration
27:00 Policing Culture
35:00 Rural Policing
42:58 Interdiction Career
59:10 Dog Business
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