FAIRBORN — The Fairborn Police Department’s newest addition, K-9 Unit Niko, and his newly-trained handler Officer Rodney Myers are slated to hit the streets Monday, June 19 for the first time as a team.
The pair will work together sniffing out crimes, tracking and apprehending suspects as well as conducting article and building searches. Niko is a 13-month-old German Shepard, sporting solid black fur and weighing 80 pounds. Both Niko and Bac, the department’s only K-9 Unit currently working the force, are considered multi-purpose dogs and will share duties. They are both cross-trained to help solve a number of crimes; they are not trained to sniff out bombs.
“There are several jurisdictions in the area who have K-9 Units, but a lot of the time, they [will be off duty],” Fairborn Police Sergeant Willard Watts said. “Let’s say [the] Beavercreek (Police Department’s) dog isn’t on duty — we’ll use mutual aid and work with them on whatever they have requested him for — but the majority of his (Bac) work is done in Fairborn.”
Myers and Niko have been in training at Gold Shield Canine Training just outside of Columbus since May 8 and are expected to complete six-week training course by Friday, June 16. Myers, formerly a sergeant in the department, volunteered to be an officer to become the second K-9 Unit’s handler.
Bac was called into action 122 times in 2016, accompanying 22 felony arrests and 22 misdemeanor arrests, in addition to locating more than 208 pounds of narcotics and assisting in $304,000 monetary seizures alongside the Greene County ACE Task Force, according to a previous interview with Watts.
“We’re excited to have a second K-9 on the street,” Watts said. “They’re doing well in class. We’re looking forward to getting Officer Myers and Niko on the streets.”
