The Chillicothe Police Department has implemented a K-9 program with the approval of the Chillicothe City Council in June.
Police Chief Jon Maples reports a career goal of Sergeant Jeremiah Grider was to be a K-9 handler and implement the program for the betterment of the department and community. Grider is a military veteran and will use his GI Bill to cover the cost of training and Patrol K-9.
Grider began training at the American K-9 Interdiction Training Academy in Virginia in August. Maples says the academy specializes in training and education as well as operational teams and K-9 procurement. The 13-week patrol/detector dog training course covers academics, basic and advanced obedience, detector dog search procedures, detector dog certification, patrol dog training and conditioning, and patrol dog certification.
Grider will be a K-9 trainer when he completes the course in October. He was provided a Patrol K-9 named Enoch in week two of training. The two will arrive back in Chillicothe in the first part of November. Maples says that after training with staff, they will be fully operational and ready to serve the citizens of Chillicothe.
