Crime & Safety

Windsor Locks Police Commission Agrees To Purchase Police Dog

The 14-month-old German Shepherd will become a patrol and narcotics dog for the police department.

 

The Windsor Locks Police Commission on Wednesday approved the purchase of a German Shepherd to be the town’s new police dog.

The dog will be purchased Thursday morning, and live with a former K-9 handler Officer Andy Dzierzgowski until the new K-9 Officer is selected in about 3 weeks, Commission Chairman Kevin Brace said.

The dog, which cost $6,500, is from West Virginia and has been bred as a police dog, Dzierzgowski told commission members Wednesday.


Brace said Windsor Locks has not had a police dog for a couple of years and there have been instances where the department has had to call upon mutual aid from other departments.

“The commission has taken another proactive step for resident and officer safety",  Brace said. "The cost to the town is zero dollars, the $6,500 came from the Department's asset forfeiture account.”

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Brace said the department is still taking applications for internal candidates for the K-9 handler. The dog and the new handler will be attending the Connecticut State Police K-9 Academy in September, he added.

“Windsor Locks will soon have a highly trained patrol and narcotics dog keeping our streets safe", Brace said.

The dog’s new name will be chosen by school students. The officers proposed that students vote on the dog’s name.

“I contacted Middle School Principal Gregory Blanchfield with the idea and he supported wholeheartedly, “ Brace said. “The children will vote in the next couple weeks.”

Dzierzgowski said the dog, which is 14 months old, has the right temperament for the job. Police dogs need to be social and able to be proactive in the field, he said. Once the handler is chosen, the bond between the two will get stronger.

So far, the dog has shown the proper level of  willingness to be aggressive for the job that trainers want to see, he said.

“They want to be sure they engage with a suspect,” Dzierzgowski said. “We don’t want a dog to cower. He far exceeds the standards at his age.

The commission also approved a memorandum of understanding between the department and the police union about the K-9 unit.

Commission member Ed Lanati said one aspect of the agreement he likes is the requirement that the officer and his family  all agree to take the dog into their lives before he’s appointed handler.



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