ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Albemarle County Police Department has welcomed a new member to its K-9 unit, and they have chosen a name with the help of the community. The people have spoken, and the new K-9 will be called Molly.

Nearly 46% of the voters selected Molly over Tess or Roxie.

Molly will replace the department’s current bloodhound, Bella, who is nearing retirement. Police bloodhounds are trained to use their exceptional sense of smell to track scents and help locate missing people and apprehend fugitives.

The ACPD K-9 unit, consisting of five K-9s, was deployed 189 times in 2023.