Windsor police have sent one of their officers into retirement, and have welcomed two rookies.
The WPS K-9 Unit officially retired their veteran K-9 Officer Kato, during a ceremony last week at the Dillson Armoury. At the same time, the unit welcomed two new officers, Nik and Coal, to their ranks.
Kato was presented with a commendation for his service to the department by Chief Al Frederick, and some of the trophies Kato has won were on display. Many of the trophies were won in competition held with the United States Police Canine Association.
Sergeant Rob Wilson, who is in charge of the K-9 Unit, said Kato, who has also attained the rare, high rank of IPO3, will be getting his comfortable spot by the fireside after eight years of work to the WPS.
"He's had a long and rewarding career," said Wilson. "Kato was an excellent police dog who did a lot for the community, but he's earned a well-deserved retirement. He's going to spend the rest of his days at home with his handler, just relaxing and doing what comes natural."
Kato's handler, Constable Lance Montigny, became a little emotional when asked about how his relationship with Kato will continue now that Kato is retired.
"He's still my partner," said Montigny. "I'll continue to do as much work as I can with him. You've got to think it's not like a police officer who retires and then has his beach house or cottage somewhere. That animal believes his mission is still to work."
Kato and Montigny handled over 3,000 calls for service and helped in the arrest of over a hundred suspects. Now Montigny will be working with K-9 Officer Nik. The German shepherd was brought to Windsor in August from Slovakia and has been preparing for deployment. The other new K-9, Coal, will be working with Constable Eric Willson. Coal also arrived in August, but from the Czech Republic and has been training alongside Nik.
Montigny said each dog undergoes 15 weeks of basic training, including detector proficiency. Each dog also goes through some form of daily training to ensure they are ready for any street action.
