Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty, K9 Cop Magazine and @constablesmith_k9mata/TikTok
In small-town Texas, about 100 miles east of Dallas, Kelly Smith has built an impressive following on social media—at least for a cop.
A self-described ordained minister and 25-year law enforcement veteran, the elected Wood County constable often shares videos of him training his police dog, K9 Mata, with his more than 94,000 TikTok followers. In some, the dog sniffs out drugs and hunts down mock suspects. In others, Smith riffs on President Joe Biden or shares videos of himself at the gun range.
He’s earned some influential fans. In early 2020, Smith and his previous police dog landed on the cover of K-9 Cop Magazine. This August, Smith boasted that Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) awarded him a flag and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.