SALEM, Ohio (WKBN) – Every dog has his day, and two of them had a special ceremony in Salem Wednesday. They were sworn in as the newest members of the police department.
With a wag of a tail and a shake of a paw, two new K-9 officers, Chaz and Fero, officially became the newest members of Salem’s Police Department.
“They’re an amazing resource, and they’re a force multiplier,” said Sgt. Michael Garber.
Chaz and his partner Sgt. Michael Garber and Fero and his handler Steve LaRosa have been on the road since November 1.
“It’s the greatest job on earth. I don’t care what anyone says. Having that with you, it makes things a lot easier if you get into a crappy situation. Knowing that you have that ability to deploy your K-9 partner and he will have your back,” Garber said.
Salem’s two previous K-9s, Simon and Argo, were forced into early retirement because of Ohio’s new regulations on cannabis. Chaz and Fero are trained in heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
“We just went ahead and switched the dogs out early before any legislative matters came into effect so we would have dogs certified on illegal substances rather than legal substances,” Garber said.
Each dog costs roughly $10,000. and require 10 weeks of training at a cost of $7,000 per dog. It allows the dogs to get familiar with their handler and learn patterns about each other’s behavior.
“The biggest difference is Chaz is quiet in the car whereas Simon for 12 hours would spin, lick the walls, make noise nonstop. Whereas when Chaz is working, he’s very boisterous. When Simon was working, he never made a sound,” Garber said.
And just like any new employee, there is a learning curve that comes with a new gig.
“It’s just like if you took a person and put them into a situation you’ve never been in before, they would have to figure it out on their own that first time. It’s the same with dogs. You’ve got to show them multiple different pictures or they don’t understand what you want them to do,” Garber said.
