Lieutenant Scott Whittle has been employed with the City of Thomson Police Department since 1992. He was assigned to the patrol division, where he worked for five years. He was then promoted to investigator for the Police Department.
The first K-9 team consisted of Lt. Whittle and his K-9 partner, Rambo. Rambo, a Belgian Malinois, was purchased with funds donated by the community. Lt. Whittle and Rambo confiscated over $35,000 in drugs and over $20,000 in funds. Rambo was retired in 1997 and died in 2004.
Lt. Whittle received his training in investigations from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Ga., and the Central Savannah River Area Law Enforcement Training Center in Blythe, Ga. In 1992, Lt. Whittle became the first City of Thomson officer to be certified in narcotic detection. He was also the first law enforcement officer in McDuffie County to hold certifications as a firefighter, EMT and police officer at the same time. Lt. Whittle received his Emergency Medical Technician training in Burke County, Ga., and became a certified firefighter while with the City of Thomson. Lt. Whittle is trained in Criminal Investigations, Interviews and Interrogations, and is a certified K-9 handler.
