PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After a 14-week training program, these dogs are ready to keep communities safe. And they have a certificate to prove it.
The program focused on obedience, agility, tracking, searching and apprehension techniques. Seven dogs and their police officer partners were part of class 128, including Officer Ernestor Vargas, who has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for 22 years.
This was his first time working with a K-9. His partner Rex is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois.
“They taught us if he needs to bring somebody down, he can and he will,” Vargas said.
Rex will have a dual purpose patrol and narcotics detection.
“A high-energy dog is not an easy dog to train, and these are some high-energy dogs,” said Officer Michael Cahill, a K-9 trainer for the class.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel handed out certificates Friday to the officers — all from various departments, including Radnor, Pennsylvania, and Franklin Township, New Jersey.
“Thank you for your willingness to serve in a different way,” he said. “Thank you for your willingness to put yourself in harm's way to do that service. The work you do matters, the work matters, and we are very appreciative of you taking this charge.”