K-9 unit has been added to police ranks
SBPD
The Seal Beach Police Department (SBPD) has introduced a four-legged member to its ranks with a new police canine unit.
For the first time in almost 40 years, SBPD will have its very own police K-9 unit helping to protect the community. “A police K-9 is an incredibly important tool that we can use to address crime in Seal Beach,” said Chief of Police Philip L. Gonshak. “The police service dog is a force multiplier and is instrumental in building searches, article searches and apprehensions.”
The last official SBPD K-9 unit went into service and ended in the mid-1980s.
Since then, the SBPD has relied on neighboring police departments to provide K-9 services when needed. By reimplementing a K-9 program within the SBPD, response times where a K-9 was needed before will be reduced.
In turn, this will allow officers to get back into service and be available for other emergency calls.
Officer Victor Ruiz and K-9 Saurus In 2020, the Seal Beach Police Department took steps to reestablish the K-9 Unit by selecting its first K-9 handler, Officer Victor Ruiz.
Ruiz has been a police officer for nearly eight years, three of which have been with the Seal
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Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020 Beach Police Department.
Ruiz holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fullerton, and lives locally with his wife and young son.
His new partner is Saurus, a 14-month-old German Shephard. Saurus was trained by Gold Coast K9 located in Ventura.
Ruiz and Saurus spent several weeks in training, where they learned to conduct building searches, apprehend fleeing felons and assist in overcoming the resistance of violent subjects.
