Please welcome the newest members of the force, K-9 Quest and K-9 Flex.
This is the first time in the history of the Wildwood Crest Police Department that they have K-9s on duty.
The two police K-9s, along with their handlers from the Wildwood Crest Police Department, are currently undergoing extensive training in narcotics and explosives detection at the John “Sonny” Burke Police K-9 Academy in Atlantic County.
Wildwood Crest Police Introduced Their First K-9 Officers
The K-9s are expected to complete their initial training on May 26 and are expected to be on patrol in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Joseph Schiff, Wildwood Crest Commissioner of Public Safety, said that “To be able to bring
another level of safety and security to our residents and visitors at very little to no cost to our
taxpayers makes this program a very valuable additional tool in the borough’s policing measures.”
This new K-9 program is fully funded through donations to the non-profit Wildwood Crest K-9 Association and has not created an increase to the police department’s budget.
K-9 Quest, assigned to Officer Tyler Lavender, is in training for narcotics detection. Once graduated from the K-9 Academy, K-9 Quest will be proficient in detecting the presence of narcotics, including ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Following the summer months, K-9 Quest and Officer Lavender will return to the K-9 Academy to complete patrol training, which includes instruction in tracking, building searches, article searches and criminal apprehension.
K-9 Flex, assigned to Officer Zack Magnavita, is in training for explosives detection. Once graduated from the K-9 Academy, K-9 Flex will be fully trained to alert the presence of a variety of explosives, including gunpowder, black powder, Composition C-4 and Trinitrotoluene (TNT).
In response to why the K-9s are needed, Wildwood Crest Police Chief Robert Lloyd said that “As laws and crime trends change, the police department must adapt and deploy new resources to continue to meet the expectations of the community we serve.”
We wish the new members the best of luck!
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