Oakwood residents may be interested to meet the newest members of the city's police department.
The team consists of Jay Ivey and his K-9, Rico. Rico is a full-service animal.
"These animals are trained in multi-disciplines, obviously they're able to detect narcotics and all the things that go along with that," said Police Chief Tim Hatch. "But these, being full-service animals, are also trained in tracking."
Hatch said the dogs are also trained in apprehension, allowing for the dog to intervene in a potentially dangerous situation, as well as article search and recovery, building searches and other tasks.
It's not the first time Oakwood Police have had a K-9 team, Hatch said, but it was part of his plan as chief.
"Moving into the K-9 realm has been something we had as a future goal to get in the next couple of years, but the opportunity presented itself," said Hatch. "So we were able to go ahead and capitalize on that more immediately than having to wait for a few years."
Hatch also said the dogs can intimidate potential criminals and prevent a situation from escalating, because the suspect doesn't want to try and handle both the dog and the officers.
"In this day and time, we obviously have a job to do and we want to do it in a way that's as safe as possible for everyone involved," Hatch said. "But for those who would offer resistance or harm to the officers, the dog is an extra added element of protection. Plus, it's able to do things we can't."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/3/886334/oakwood-police-adds-k-9-team-to-force