The Stevens Police Department formed a canine unit in 2018 with the addition of our first dual-purpose canines Luna and Fala. The program proved to be a great asset to the City. In 2019, The Stevens Point Police Department lost K9 Luna when she passed away suddenly. K9 Barry joined the team shortly thereafter. K9 Barry is paired with Sgt. Ballew. K9 Fala was paired with Officer Lee but retired in the Spring of 2023.
K9 Barry is assigned normal patrol duties and is on patrol in Stevens Point every day. Since 2018, there have been over 500 deployments, including tracking suspects and narcotic detection.
K9 Barry is trained in;
- Narcotics Detection
- Tracking
- Building Search
- Area Search
- Evidence Recovery
- Apprehension/Hander Protection
K9 Barry is a Belgian Malinois, a breed that the American Kennel Club says was "first bred by serious dog people who were primarily concerned with producing dogs of sterling working character" and is now "highly sought after as police and military K-9s" because of their "versatility and high work-drive."
Organizations seeking a canine demonstration for their event should contact Lt. Ben Uitenbroek by phone at 715-346-1518.
Willow - Therapy K9
Willow, an Australian Labradoodle, joined the SPPD as our first Therapy Dog (in training) on December 20, 2022, when she was just two months old. Willow came to us through a generous donation from Heather and Randy Clark, owners of Blueberry Cottage Labradoodles. Willow takes puppy obedience classes through Pawsitively Unleashed, and will continue her training there with the goal of being certified as a therapy dog when she is approximately one year old.
Willow can usually be found walking the hallways of Ben Franklin Jr. High School with School Resource Officer Kris Marchel. Willow brings comfort and happiness to both staff and students, welcoming affection from many students every day, and loves to cuddle with anyone who is having a rough day or just needs some puppy therapy time.
We look forward to introducing Willow to everyone at various places and events in our community.
Willow receives veterinary care at the Point Area Vet Clinic.
K9 Merchandise for Sale
- K9 T-Shirt: $15 (2XL: $17)
- Plush K9 Barry: $15
- Plush K9 Fala: $15
- Plush K9 Willow: $15
- K9 Challenge Coin: $8
- SPPD K9 Decal: $5
Proceeds from sales go to support the K9 program.
