Poland Township Police Department welcomes K-9 Sal to the force
POLAND The Poland Township Police Department welcomed its second canine unit to the force on Wednesday.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Poland Government Center, located at 3339 Dobbins Road in Poland, at 6 p.m.
Sal joins the force as the department's second K-9.
Sal will be working primarily at night while his counterpart will work during the day, according to Poland Township Police Department Chief Greg Wilson.
This, Chief Wilson says, will help the department have full coverage throughout the day.
Chief Wilson says that having two K-9 units is very important to the department.
"These K-9s serve multiple purposes. Both of our K-9s can detect narcotics, they can both track human scent and they can also find articles in the ground or in wooded areas where police may not be able to find them," said Chief Wilson.
Sal's story began on the south side of Youngstown, where he was found wandering the streets and taken to the Mahoning County Dog Pound.
Eventually, Sal, then known as "Hal", was relocated to the Every Dog Matters Rescue Group shelter in Boardman, where he was renamed "Sal".
At the shelter, volunteers noted Sal's high hunt drive, a love for toys and a sociable nature.
Chief Wilson would go on to contact the Enforcer Working Dog, a canine training organization, to conduct an evaluation on Sal, which he would later go on to pass.
Sal and Ptl. Wolfe would later go on to begin the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA)-approved training program to prepare Sal for narcotics detection.
It was announced on the Poland Township Police Department Facebook page on Wednesday that Sal and Ptl. Chelsea Wolfe successfully completed the state certification testing.
"This marks the end of a long journey - and the beginning of impactful service ahead," according to a Poland Township Police Department Facebook post announcing Sal's swearing-in ceremony.
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