Chief of Police Scott P. Livingstone is pleased to announce that the Amherst Police Department welcomes it newest member, K9 Dash.
The Amherst Police Canine Program was made possible by a generous $25,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation. The Stanton Foundation has awarded numerous grants to develop canine programs within police departments throughout the Commonwealth. More information on the Stanton Foundation can be found at http://thestantonfoundation.org/canine.
Officer Thomas (TJ) Clark is the department’s canine officer. Clark, who has been with the Amherst Police Department since 2010, travelled to Pennsylvania in September to meet with the canine service dog importer and select Dash. Dash is a 17 month old male German Shepherd who was imported from the Netherlands.
Officer Clark and Dash have been attending trainings for narcotic detection and patrol operations, and it is anticipated that this initial training will be completed in February, 2015. At that time Officer Clark and Dash will assume regular patrol duties. Officer Clark is currently assigned to the southeast sector of town, but covers all sectors as needs arise. Dash will be utilized for criminal apprehension, tracking and locating missing persons, building searches, evidence and narcotics detection, crowd control and promoting favorable public relations.
Chief Livingstone, Officer Clark and Dash will be available to the press for photographs and interviews on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at 2:00 PM in the Amherst Police Department Community Room. Questions can be forwarded to Captain Jennifer Gundersen at gundersenj@amherstma.gov or 413-259-3012.