DATE: September 14, 2018
Canine’s Atos, Apex and Jacquo earn their official police badges
The Marietta Police Department (MPD) has three specially bred and trained Belgian Malinois police canines (dogs). Each dog trains and works with individual experienced police officer (handler), and each dog and handler are called a "canine team."
Training for each police dog is an ongoing process throughout their years of service with the department. Depending on the needs of the department, they may be trained in specialty areas such as sniffing for drugs, in some cases sniffing for bombs, searching for articles, tracking missing persons and chasing criminals who flee from the police. Each type of training requires different, but related sets of skills for both the dogs and their handlers. Once the dogs reach the highest levels of training and proficiency, they make tremendous contributions as guardians of the community, working to keep everyone safe and helping to maintain law and order.
The MPD is proud to announce that our three canines have completed their final phase of training, “apprehension,” and we have now presented them with their new police badges; they have earned them, and they are now considered sworn members of our department.
All three canine officers are approximately four-years-old and have been with the MPD for three years. Each dog had already completed extensive training in drug sniffing, tracking, and article search location. This final tier of training will enable the handlers to release their canine officer, under specific circumstances, so it can apprehend a fleeing suspect and detain them until their handler can secure the suspect in handcuffs.
Atos, badge K-972, born in Czechoslovakia, is assigned to handler Figueroa.
Apex, badge K-982, born in the United States, is assigned to handler Lukaszewicz.
Jacquo, badge K-961, born in France, is assigned to handler Powell.
