“Our K9s are important to us and to the citizens we serve. They help track missing people, locate subjects, narcotics and explosive devices as well as provide extra safety for officers who must confront very dangerous situations. Budgets have limitations. Thanks to organizations like the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation we will be able to advance our K9 unit and provide a greater level of service to the community we serve.” — Sheriff Farris, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Last November, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office was selected to receive a grant from Ben’s foundation to purchase a new K9 dog, and provide training and equipment for the K9 unit.
Today, they wanted to introduce their new K9 dog to Steeler Nation!
“Bolt”, is a 19-month old Belgian Malinois from Little Rock K9, a police canine training facility in Arkansas. Bolt serves as a dual-purpose K9 working as a road patrol and drug enforcement dog with veteran handler, Deputy Richard Cobble.
“We selected Bolt from a number of promising dogs at the facility in Little Rock for his confidence, excellent skills, and sociability,” said Major Greg Whittaker, a former K9 Deputy who commands the K9 Unit at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. “He is able to work independently and has tremendous concentration when faced with multiple challenges out in the field. He is a very impressive dog.”
Putnam County, similar to Nashville’s Davidson County, is a partner in the State of Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s Middle Region. Through this collaborative partnership, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is committed to responding within the region with all special designated assets, such as K9 units, for large-scale events as well as officer and community safety.
In fact, just two days after joining the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Bolt and Deputy Cobble assisted Jackson County narcotics investigators on a traffic stop that yielded one felony and two misdemeanor drug charges. The Jackson County detectives later wrote saying, “Thank you. We could not have done it without your assistance.”
You can learn more about Ben’s foundation here.
You can support future K-9 grants and satisfy your sweet tooth by purchasing candy on Sarris Candies’ website, (www.SarrisCandiesFundraising.com), using a special purchase code (77-7777). Sarris will donate 25 percent of the purchase price to his foundation.
*Thank you to Michael Ronczkowski!
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