Sauk Rapids Police Department Adds New K9 Officer to the Force

(KNSI) — The Sauk Rapids Police Department is welcoming its newest furry member to the force thanks to an outpouring of community support.

K9 Officer Bolt is a one-year-old German Shepherd from Slovakia and will be teamed up with Officer Jared Timm. Timm has been with the Sauk Rapids Police Department for four years, and this will be his first time as a K9 handler.

Police Chief Perry Beise told KNSI News K9 Bolt will be a “dual-purpose dog trained in apprehension and drug detection. If some bad guy flees on foot, and it’s a serious enough crime, we’ll take Bolt out, and he’ll search for him and locate him.”

He says the dog will also be trained to search for evidence that might be thrown from a fleeing suspect, adding a K9 team is essential for law enforcement. “When there is certain dangerous situations, it would be more advantageous to send Bolt in instead of an officer into a building to search; that’s what he’s for. If we’re looking for narcotics, there’s almost nothing better than a dog that can detect that for you and tell you that they’re there.”

K9 Bolt will be the only K9 officer in the department. His arrival was made possible by $28,000 in donations from the local Lions Clubs, Five Star Plumbing in Sauk Rapids, Golden Gloves Boxing, and several residents. Beise says they’re very fortunate that we have the public’s support.

Timm and K9 Bolt will go for 12 weeks of training starting August 21st and should be ready to hit the streets in November.

The department’s previous K9, Thunder, died from cancer nearly two years ago.

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