Jan. 18, 2024, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service has welcomed a new Police Service Dog (PSD) to its Canine Unit: a Belgian Malinois named Ben.
PSD Ben and his handler, Cst. Nick Beaudry, recently graduated from the Ontario Provincial Police Academy Canine Training Centre in Orillia, Ont. During the team’s 18-week training course, PSD Ben became proficient in suspect apprehension and searching for evidence. Soon, he will also take a five-week training course in drug detection.
“We’re grateful to be expanding our Canine Unit and welcoming Constable Beaudry and PSD Ben to our team,” says Cst. Dan Turco, who has been the only handler on the Canine Unit since 2012.
Cst. Beaudry, who joined Sault Police as an experienced officer in 2022, competed in an arduous internal selection process before being named the newest canine handler and heading off to Orillia to meet his new partner.
“Becoming a canine handler seemed like a great opportunity to challenge myself and to be more involved with the community,” says Cst. Beaudry, “I also love animals, so getting to work as a team with Ben is very rewarding. He’s a great partner. We’re learning a lot from each other.”
PSD Ben is joining his fellow four-legged officers, PSDs Justice, Hektor and Red, on the Canine Unit, which now has two handlers.
Police Service Dogs are an enormous asset to law enforcement. With their keen sense of smell, they can help locate missing people more quickly and detect suspects or evidence a human officer might otherwise miss.
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