Erie police has three new K-9 officers. When they'll be on patrol

Four-legged police patrol officers are a step closer to returning to the streets of Erie.

Three Belgian Malinois and their Erie Bureau of Police handlers will leave on Monday for five weeks of training in Ohio before returning with certifications and joining their human counterparts in protecting the city, thanks to state grant funding and a lot of work on the part of bureau officials.

The dogs — Atlas, partnered with Ptl. Daniel Potts; Bo, partnered with Ptl. Brock Grice; and Deacon, partnered with Ptl. Arthur Rhodes — are now with their handlers, getting familiar with them and their homes in advance of heading off to school, Erie police Deputy Chief William Marucci said.

Their arrival marks the first time in more than a decade that the 194-member Erie police bureau has K-9 officers on patrol. Those dogs will be there to help protect their handlers and track down criminals, as well as track down evidence and identify explosives and drugs, Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny said.

The Erie Bureau of Police had employed K-9 officers for decades, beginning with the formation of its K-9 Corps in the late 1960s, until the last dog and handler retired in early 2014. The bureau also had an accelerant-sniffing dog that worked for a time in the 2000s with a city police detective trained as a fire investigator.

The Erie Bureau of Fire has an accelerant-sniffing dog, named Horus, that it obtained in late 2022.

Grants helped bring K-9 officers back

Spizarny first revealed the city police bureau's desire to bring back K-9 officers in September 2023, when he said the bureau was doing some preliminary research into the possibility of adding them to the force. Spizarny and Marucci said the idea was brought up by other members of the department.

The preliminary research included looking for any grant funding that might be available to support the idea.

"It comes down to finances," Spizarny said at the time.

With the help of state Reps. Pat Harkins, D-1st Dist., and Robert Merski, D-2nd Dist., the bureau applied for a grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Marucci said. The city received $371,700 in grant funding to pay for the dogs, along with vehicles, training and equipment, police reported.

More: Grant funding to help keep in place staffing for Erie Police Athletic League

Once the grant money was approved, police went to work picking officers to serve as each dog's handler, purchasing vehicles and other equipment, and lining up the training. The dogs and officers will undergo training at Tri-State Canine Services in Warren, Ohio, where they obtained the dogs, Marucci said.

Each of the dogs will be trained for dual purposes, Marucci said. In addition to training in patrol duties, two of the dogs will be trained for drug detection and one for explosives and gun detection, he said.

The plan is for one dog and handler to work each of the city police bureau's three patrol shifts, Marucci said. The dogs will also be made available to all local, state and federal agencies if their specialties are needed, he said.

Erie is joining a number of other police departments in the Erie region that have or have recently added dogs to their forces. They included the Edinboro and Wesleyville police departments and the Millcreek Township Police Department, which last summer added a certified post-traumatic stress disorder service dog named Tucker to its ranks.

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie police welcome three new K-9 officers to the force