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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

UAPD swears in dope dog for K-9 patrol

UAPD+Chief+Brian+Seastone+swears+in+Trigger%2C+UAPDs+newest+K9+officer%2C+on+Thursday%2C+Sept.+22+outside+the+UAPD+Police+Department.
Nick Smallwood
UAPD Chief Brian Seastone swears in Trigger, UAPD’s newest K9 officer, on Thursday, Sept. 22 outside the UAPD Police Department.

The University of Arizona Police Department held a ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 22 for the promotion of a police radio dispatcher and the swearing-in of a new police canine.

UAPD officers and staff members, as well as friends and family, gathered to watch the ceremony, which opened with the promotion of police radio dispatcher Michelle Robinson to police radio dispatch supervisor.

After Police Chief Brian Seastone announced Robinson’s promotion, he introduced the next part of the ceremony: The swearing in of UAPD’s newest canine, Trigger. While Seastone said that UAPD usually reserves ceremonies for the promotion of employees, Trigger is the first canine to be sworn in at a ceremony.

Trigger was sworn in on Thursday but has been with UAPD since May. The two year old chocolate lab had been trained for about a year before he came to the UAPD.

Rene Arriaga, the UAPD K-9 officer that works with Trigger, said he works specifically as a narcotic canine.

Seastone said in his speech at the ceremony that Trigger has found 100 pounds of marijuana and smaller amounts of different drugs.

He said he works with the canine during the entirety of his shift, which is fun.

“If I’m having a hard time at work, I can rely on him to take a lot of stress off, and … he’s always there to listen,” Arriaga said.


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