Hope, officially known as "Jimmy Ryce's Votik's Hope," is a bloodhound who is used to help search for suspects or missing individuals in surrounding communities in a mutual aid status.  The value of bloodhounds in law enforcement has been proven repeatedly, especially in locating missing children and elderly people.

The Jimmy Ryce Center selected the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office to receive the free pup from Claudine Ryce of the Jimmy Ryce Center in Florida.  Claudine is the mother of Jimmy Ryce, a 9-year-old boy kidnapped at gunpoint, raped, and murdered on September 11, 1995.  His mother and father created the center for victims of predatory abduction and have dedicated much of their lives to providing well-bred bloodhounds - free of charge - to law enforcement agencies to assist in finding abducted and lost children.  For more information, visit www.jimmyryce.org.

Hope was named after MCSO Deputy Sheriff Harold Votik who lost a battle with cancer in December 2003.  Hope's trainer is Deputy Sheriff Linda Lopez.