Community Asked To Name New Four-legged SPD Officer
Sonora, CA – The Sonora Police Department is turning to the public to help name its soon-to-be newest officer on the beat.
The public can choose from four names provided by SPD, but only has until Monday to vote online. Police spokesperson Cpl. Thomas Brickley details, “An inter-department email went out to all the employees of Sonora PD, where they submitted their favorite name for the dog, and the K9 handler selected the top names. We put it out to the community, so they can have a vested interest in the animal.”
As of Tuesday, over 400 votes had been cast, according to Brickley. He shared that the dog will be a male, between 12 and 24 weeks old. Its breed will be determined next week when Officer Antonio Shouse, its future handler, heads to a Central Valley breeder. “He will pick the one that has an attitude and temperament that meshes with him and fits the needs of the community,” added Brickley.
A majority of the expenses for the K9, training and a specially outfitted police vehicle are being paid for by the non-profit “Friends of Sonora Police Department” and other community donations. As reported here in 2021, for her Sonora High School senior project, Faith Hamilton organized the ‘Supporting the Blue; A Fundraiser For the Sonora Police Department,” which raised more than $28,000. The pooch itself will be gifted to the City of Sonora as a donation, but Brickley did not have a final cost. Donations will continue to fund much of the program.
SPD provided the list of names to choose from below:
- Leonidas “Leo” – Greek Meaning “Lion”, Also Named After The Spartan King
- Jaeger – German Meaning “Hunter”
- Ridge – Reference To The Topography Of Our Beautiful County
- Conan – Gaelic Meaning “Wolf/Hound”, Named After The Military Working Dog Who Pursued The ISIS Leader
To vote for your favorite name go to the SPD Facebook page. This is not the first time the department has been equipped with police dogs. It had a K9 program in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but Brickley recounted that it ended due to a lack of funding and officers available to be K9 handlers.
Regarding the need to bring back the program, Brickley advised, “It gives us the opportunity to conduct more thorough searches and apprehend subjects. It enables us to more safely search buildings and property looking for suspects.” He continued, “It also helps us in having a dog that is going to be friendly that we can take to the schools and to events and socialize with our community and continue to build that bond that we have with the community.”
