Two K-9 units to join Buckeye Police Department’s Patrol Division

Eight-year-old Jake has recovered $860,000 in cash and has become an expert at detecting small to large amounts of marijuana, heroin and cocaine.

Not bad for a Golden Retriever, huh?

Now Jake and his Buckeye Police Department partner Sgt. John Larson will soon be joined by two other K-9s and their handlers as the department expands its protective patrol services to town residents.

Larson said two Belgian Malinois dual-purpose patrol-drug dogs will be trained by a certified K-9 instructor from Goodyear during an eight-week academy before hitting the streets.

Officer Dave Smith, a five-year veteran of the Buckeye department, will be teamed with 18-month-old Cido, while Officer Kevin Rorke, who’s also been with the department for more than five years, will be paired with 3-year-old Iwan.

While Larson’s Jake is solely a drug-trained dog, Iwan and Cito will be trained in drugs and patrol-related responses.

“They will be trained in active searches, apprehensions, missing persons’ cases, narcotics and alarm and burglary calls,” Larson said.  “Not only does having these dogs available provide increased protection for citizens, the officer safety issues that they will address will be tremendous.”

The two dogs were purchased at a cost of $9,600 each from a California company whose owner is considered one of the top K-9 experts in the nation.  The purchases, which come from RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act) funds, are well spent, Larson explained, because the dogs come with a guarantee.

“If they somehow don’t pan out doing the job, or if they develop hip or other medical problems, we can take them back to him and select another dog,” Larson added.

Interim Police Chief Mark Mann is excited about the additions to the department.

“This is another example of how our department is moving in a positive direction, adding two K-9 units to further protect not only our citizens but our fellow officers as well,” Mann said.