Ohio Department Marks 50-Year Anniversary of K-9 Unit

The Newark (OH) Division of Police recently celebrated the 50-year anniversary of its K-9 Unit.

According to the Newark Advocate , the unit was started when a local kennel club approached officers with the idea of adding K-9 capabilities to the agency.

"We are the fourth oldest continuous running K-9 Unit in Ohio," Newark Police Chief Barry Connell said in an interview with the Advocate. "We've seen the birth of a lot of K-9 units since we've been in business. We helped get a lot of them started, and we're proud of that heritage."

The unit started with three K-9s: Shep, Thunder, and Shane.