Bend, Ore. – The Bend Police Department is excited to announce “Rony” as the newest canine addition. Rony is a 20 month old Belgium Malinois purchased from Adlerhorst International, a reputable canine vendor out of Riverside, California. This purchase was made possible by a donation from the Angela D. Collier Foundation. The Angela D. Collier Foundation is a non-profit organization focusing efforts on animal related services.
Officer Erick Supplee has been selected to handle Rony. Rony comes to the department initially trained in obedience, handler protection, and area searches. Officer Supplee and Rony recently passed Oregon Police Canine Association standards after an extensive four week training period. The team is set to begin their first patrol shift together next week.
Officer Supplee is a veteran police officer with over 11 years of service. He is also a prior canine officer. Officer Supplee had the opportunity to work with “Zlatan” for the past six and a half years. Zlatan retired last month at the age of 10 and is looking forward to relaxing with the Supplee family. This is a common practice with retired police canines as they become part of the handler’s family.
Officer Supplee and Zlatan had an impressive career. The team was deployed approximately 800 times. They captured or assisted in the arrest of 99 suspects, recovered 38 items of evidence, and located seven missing persons. The team also conducted numerous demonstrations at local schools, meetings, and functions.
The Bend Police Department would like to thank the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for assisting in training Officer Supplee and Rony. Their personnel provided additional expertise and knowledge that will help the team become successful..
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