Residents in York can expect to see a new face around the Sheriff’s Office.
Plus a set of four legs and a tail.
A German Shepherd named Saber from the Czech Republic started his first day of work on Dec. 4, according to a Facebook post from the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office.
In May, Saber was purchased from Tarheel Canine Training in North Carolina, which specializes in importing and training police service dogs. The following five months, Saber underwent daily training in preparation for his service with YPSO.
In November, Deputy Brett Schultz, a 14-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, went to North Carolina to spend an extra four weeks training Saber. Schultz is now Saber’s official handler.
The average cost of training for a police dog with experience in patrol work, detection and urban tracking can range from $12,000 to $15,000 depending on the length of a class, according to the National Police Dog Foundation. Saber’s costs were paid for by funds seized from drug dealers.
An investment the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office believes will pay off.
“We have relied heavily on our surrounding agencies to bring in a K-9 when needed and we are very appreciative of their help,” said Sheriff J.D. Danny Diggs. “We hope to be able to assist them in the future, if needed. In most cases, time is of the essence and having our own K-9 will cut this response time down significantly.”
The department hopes Saber’s presence will help in cutting down on response time and conserve resources because his keen sense of smell and his speed can find people or objects in less time than a deputy.
There are many other benefits to having police dogs on the force, the most well-known being suspect apprehension, according to the American Kennel Club. Police dogs are trained to take hold of dangerous suspects by biting them and keeping them hostage.
During these situations, YPSO said the dogs can apprehend a suspect without injury or risk.
AKC said in many cases, these animals are the first ones to put their lives at risk by going up against an armed subject to protect their humans.
German Shepherds like Saber do well in these situations because they come from a herding breed, which has qualities such as strength and intelligence that are useful when restraining a subject. Part of these dog’s training is to understand when someone is a threat and act on command of their handlers.
With these well-known qualities, having a K-9 on the scene of an incident often helps to de-escalate a situation and lend to a less-difficult apprehension of suspects, authorities said.
As Saber learns the ropes in York County, officers expect he will help provide great improvements to their work.
“Saber is a great dog with a very high drive and he loves to train and work. I have great expectations of him,” Schultz said.
