POUGHKEEPSIE – Six police K-9 teams graduated from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Academy on Friday morning. The dogs and their human partners spent 14 weeks of challenging training to obtain their certifications.
Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati said, “Today, marks the culmination of fourteen weeks of intense and rigorous training for the handlers and their canine partners. I congratulate the new canine teams on their accomplishment, and we are fortunate that these teams will be deployed both within and outside of Dutchess County to patrol our communities and enhance public safety.”
The six canine teams completed the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Police Patrol, Tracking and Article Search Canine School. During this training, canine teams focused on obedience, agility, article search, building search, area search, tracking and locating missing or lost persons, and criminal apprehension.
The graduates from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office K9 Academy include:
- Sergeant Todd Grieb & K9 Scout – Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office
- Deputy Sheriff William McKay & K9 Anderson – Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office
- Officer Alec Brandow & K9 Urso – Town of Hyde Park Police Department
- Detective James DiPietrantonio & K9 Werner – New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police
- Officer Robert Burke & K9 Kona – New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police
- Officer Paul Down & K9 Ajax – New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police
The instructional staff for this session of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office K9 Academy included Deputy Sheriff William McKay, the academy director, Town of Poughkeepsie Police Officer Vanja Mikelic/K9 Kyle, and Sergeant Kelly Bauer/K9 Cole from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police.
“Sheriff Imperati said, “The success of the K9 Academy is due to the robust K9 Unit we have at the Sheriff’s Office and the strong working relationships we have with other police agencies. I especially want to thank the Town of Poughkeepsie Police and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police for partnering with us to provide the instructors necessary to conduct this academy and graduate six new canine teams.”
