Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden has announced the newest team to the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
Sheriff’s Officer Ralph Irizzary and K-9 Fuze, a 2-year-old German shepherd, graduated from the New Jersey State Police Canine Training Academy on June 17 after 33 weeks of training in explosive detection and patrol, according to a press release.
“It is an honor to welcome this highly trained K-9 team to our unit,” Golden said. “Officer Irizzary and his partner Fuze will prove to be a great asset to Monmouth County and local police departments when it comes to bolstering homeland security capabilities, by playing a vital role in protecting our county against criminal and terroristic threats.”
According to the press release, 22 teams received diplomas at a graduation ceremony held in Hamilton Township. They met all the requirements set forth by the State of New Jersey, Office of Attorney General guidelines.
The K-9 graduate teams, trained through tracking scent and patrol, consisted of 16 explosive detection teams, two explosive/patrol teams, two narcotics detection teams, two narcotics/patrol teams and five patrol teams. The teams trained on New Jersey State Police boats, at Liberty State Park and in vacant buildings and lots. The academy also focused on case law, crime scene preservation, basic obedience, agility, environmental training and socialization with crowds, according to the sheriff’s office.
“I am grateful to the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office for providing Fuze and me with this great opportunity and proud to be a part of our explosive detection team, specializing in response when dealing with potentially dangerous situations,” Irizzary said.
The sheriff’s office K-9 unit presently consists of seven handlers and eight K-9 officers. The unit includes two explosive/patrol teams, three narcotics/patrol teams, one explosive team, one tracking team and one narcotics team.
The teams are called upon year-round to assist local police departments with narcotics detection, explosive detection and criminal or missing person searches. In 2015, the K-9 unit responded to 109 explosive calls, 212 tracking calls and 256 narcotics calls. They presented a total of 147 K-9 demonstrations, according to the press release.
