Officer
Regan from the Taylor Police Department’s canine unit recently paid a visit to
West Middle School‘s sixth grade classes. Officer Regan, along with a fellow
officer, brought his canine companion, a German Shepherd named Simon, to visit. Simon is an official canine
officer.
Officer
Regan informed the students how beneficial Canine Officer Simon is to the
Taylor Police Department. Among his duties, Simon helps sniff out illegal
drugs, can look for missing persons and assists in apprehending suspicious
individuals.
Canine
Officer Simon wears a special bullet proof vest when he is on duty. Simon has
been trained to obey both hand and verbal commands. The training is usually
game motivated. But at times hotdogs are used as an incentive for a job well
done.
Usually
Simon is kept on a 30-foot leash, but can sniff out drugs or people of interest
from one to two miles away. If Simon is let off his leash a GPS tracker located
in his collar can easily detect his whereabouts. Canine Officer Simone’s
contributions to the TPD are invaluable.
We
thank the Taylor Police Department, especially Officer Regan, his fellow
officer and Canine Officer Simon for explaining to our six graders how
intelligent dogs are.
The
students learned dogs can be trained for a variety of tasks including, but not
limited to, helping the police, the fire department and the disabled. Dogs,
especially Canine Officer Simon, truly are man’s best friend.
Submitted
by Sara Bochenek
