The College Station police department welcomes two new officers to their force.
Ciro is a 2 year-old German Shepherd and Dutch Shepherd cross from the Netherlands and Rico, nearly 2 years-old, is a Belgian Malinois from the Czech Republic.
Two weeks ago, they officially started working for CSPD’s new Canine Unit.
Lt. James Arnold says the total cost of the program is $70,000.
“The training was in Utah, so there was not only the cost of the training, but having to send the guys and take care of them while they’re out of town for four months. The dogs themselves, total for the two dogs was right at about $19,000. And then we had to outfit the patrol units,” said Lt. Arnold.
After the four month program in Utah, Rico and Ciro were PSP certified in Patrol Tactics and Narcotics Detection.
According to CSPD, “To become certified in Patrol Tactics Rico and Ciro had to demonstrate proficiency in apprehension, building searches, tracking, and article recovery. For Narcotics Detection certification Rico and Ciro had to demonstrate proficiency in the detection of numerous illegal narcotics.”
Officer Matt Newton handles Ciro and Officer Long Le handles Rico. Newton has been with CSPD since January 2013 and Le has been with CSPD since June 2008.
Listen to “College Station K9 Officer Matt Newton” on Spreaker.
Listen to “College Station Police Department Introduces K9 Program” on Spreaker.
Courtesy of CSPD:
As a department, we have talked about our need to have a K9 Unit for several years and during our 2017 Command Staff Strategic Planning Retreat, we decided to make it a priority and move forward with the initiative. It was and is our belief that an effective K9 Program would not only enhance our operations but would also afford us opportunities to enhance our goal of developing effective partnerships with our community.
As you can imagine, much work was involved to select K9 Handlers, learn about the involved equipment, costs associated with such a program, training, logistics and policy. Once these variables were identified, we submitted a budget packet through our regular budget process and thanks to our City Council and the City Manager’s Office, they accepted and realized our vision and ultimately funded the initiative in our 2018 budget.
That being said, all of the heavy lifting goes to Asst. Chief Billy Couch (who was over Operations at the time we began this journey), Lt. Arnold, Sgt. McCarthy, Sgt. Taylor and these two handlers who I will introduce in a moment, for their vision tenacity and can do attitude. Because, in less than a year, the College Station Police Department K9 Program has gone from an idea, to a fully operational and highly professional unit.
Thank you guys for all of the work you have put into making this program a reality.
As most know, the superior senses of smell, hearing, and physical capabilities of a Police Service Canine make them a valuable supplement to a police work force.
A Professional Canine Unit enhances police department operations by utilizing canines and handlers trained in narcotics detection, tracking, evidentiary search operations, suspect apprehensions and handler protection.
However, it doesn’t stop there. Effective utilization of such a team, requires adherence to diligent training protocol and operational procedures that properly channel the Police Service Canine’s specialized capabilities into legally and socially acceptable crime prevention and crime detection activities.
In our department, our Canine Unit will be assigned to the Patrol Division under the Command of Lt. James Arnold, our evening shift Lt. and will be supervised by Sgt. Patrick McCarthy and Sgt. Steven Taylor. Earlier in his career, Patrick McCarthy was a K9 handler with our department so he comes to the unit with a vast knowledge of such a program. Sgt. Taylor has received training in canine operations and is equally well suited to a supervisory role in the unit.
Handlers
K9 Officer Long Le:
Officer Le, began working with the College Station Police Department in June of 2008. He holds his Advanced Peace Officer Certificate and has served the Department as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Traffic Officer, Recruiting Coordinator, and SWAT Team Member.
Officer Le’s partner is Police Service Canine Rico. Rico is almost two years old and he is a Belgian Malinois from the Czech Republic.
K9 Officer Matt Newton:
Officer Newton, began working with the College Station Police Department in January of 2013. Officer Newton has served the Department on Night Shift Patrol throughout his career. Officer Newton has also served the Department as a Field Training Officer, Patrol Corporal, and Honor Guard member.
K9 Officer Newton’s partner is Police Service Canine Ciro. Ciro is a two year old German Shepherd and Dutch Shepherd cross, that comes from the Netherlands.
K9 Rico and K9 Ciro are both dual purpose Police Service Canines which means they are trained and certified to perform two policing functions, Patrol Tactics and Narcotics Detection. During the Spring and Summer of 2018, Our handlers, Rico and Ciro, attended an intensive four month training program in Utah, where they were PSP certified in Patrol Tactics and Narcotics Detection. To become certified in Patrol Tactics Rico and Ciro had to demonstrate proficiency in apprehension, building searches, tracking, and article recovery. For Narcotics Detection certification Rico and Ciro had to demonstrate proficiency in the detection of numerous illegal narcotics. We are proud to say that not only did they certify in both disciplines but they did so at the highest level.
In closing, we are excited to have such a resource for our community. Not only are the new members of the department great crime fighting tools but they also afford us opportunity to continue our efforts to develop meaningful partnerships with the community we serve.
Furthermore, we are excited to have such a cadre of professional officers to oversee such an important unit. I am proud of what they have already achieved and beyond confident in these officer’s abilities to continue to develop this program into all it can be and ultimately serve our community well.