Chief Scott J. McNamara and the Methuen Police Department are pleased to announce that Officer Griffin Waller and his K-9 partner Bohdi have successfully completed the 14-week Boston Police K-9 Patrol Handlers Class.
The K-9 team’s initial training consisted of 560 hours of patrol training, including obedience, tracking, area searches, evidence recovery, building searches, criminal apprehension and more.
Additionally, Officer Waller and Bohdi have been certified in narcotics detection after attending a 6-week training program at Boston Police K-9 Academy. The narcotics detection training included 240 hours of training on imprinting of illegal narcotics, room searches, vehicle searches, open area and article searches.
Bohdi is a two-year-old Belgian Malinois who was acquired with a grant provided by the United State Police Canine Association and the American Kennel Club’s Reunite grant program, with matching funds provided by a Methuen business.
Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog has provided a $6,540 donation to purchase a K-9 kennel insert and heat alert system for a cruiser that will be used by Officer Waller and Bohdi.
Officer Waller and K-9 Bohdi will be assigned to the Patrol Division and be available to assist the Street Crimes Unit with the detection of illegal narcotics. The team is also assigned to NEMLEC K-9, which is a regional response team.