A new Canine Unit will be introduced as part of the Sarnia Police Service (SPS) this spring, but before then, local students are being asked to help come up with a name for the new four-legged recruit.
It has been 27 years since the SPS had a police dog. Kato retired in 1997 and was never replaced.
SPS Corporate Communications Coordinator Marika Sylvain Groendyk said at this point, a dog will be selected in early April.
The dog and its handler will then undergo four months of instruction with Windsor police training partners.
"Then [they'll] hit the road, likely the beginning of August together as the official Canine Team of the SPS," she said.
Implementation of the unit was highlighted as a priority in the 2024 police budget. The $33.4 million document was approved by the police services board in December 2023.
Chief Derek Davis said the new unit was a result of feedback gathered during public outreach sessions held in 2022 and 2023 about community safety needs.
“We listened. Over the past several months, extensive preparatory work has gone into creating this new team," said Davis. "We are very excited to now be in the final stages of implementation and delivering on this priority community expectation.”
Sylvain Groendyk said the new team will greatly benefit the SPS, since they currently have to request canine services from a neighbouring police force.
While work is done to implement the new team, Sarnia youth between the ages of four and 14 are being asked to submit a name suggestion to [email protected] by April 2. Students are asked to include their own name and the name of their school in the email.
"When the contest closes on April 2, we're going to discuss the top names that have come in and whether or not those are a good fit for the dog," said Sylvain Groendyk. "They do need to be easy for the animal to recognize, so one to two syllables."
She also said the name suggestions should align with the values of the SPS. As outlined in the service's mission statement, values include compassion, dedication to protecting human life and the community, and preventing crime.
"We're really excited to run this contest for the community and to get our first police service dog in 27 years here at the organization," she said.
The winning name will be announced on April 15.
