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New Canaan Police Seek Permission To Acquire Labrador Retriever As Second K-9 Dog

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Saying it would bolster the town’s efforts to rid New Canaan of drugs such as heroin, police on Wednesday proposed acquiring a second K-9 dog for the department. A Labrador retriever’s work would include drug detection and tracking—much as the dog in place since last summer, Apollo the German shepherd, performs those duties and additionally is trained for patrol and apprehension—and also would boost the department’s community relations, K-9 Officer David Rivera told members of the Police Commission at their regular meeting. “A lot of times when I do demonstrations, I restrict people petting him [Apollo]— that is just me being a good handler to the town,” Rivera said at the meeting, held at NCPD headquarters. “That being said, getting Labrador retriever, all the kids would be able to pet the lab and we would be in a really great position to provide this community with something that a lot of communities do not get, and that is interaction with police officers.”

He added: “I feel we have an opportunity in working in one of the best police departments in the state of Connecticut to have the best K-9 program. What would really help with combating the heroin epidemic and drugs we see coming into the town would be the implementation of another K-9.”

The police department’s K-9 program is paid for entirely out of a private fund that’s supported by donations.

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Two First Presbyterian Nursery School Students Tour the New Canaan Police Department

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On a recent afternoon, Wyatt and Henry Rotchford’s dreams came true when they had the opportunity to get a tour of the New Canaan Police Department with Chief Leon Krolikowski. The 4- and 5-year old brothers won the trip to the Police Department through a drawing at First Presbyterian Nursery School, which they attend. Accompanied by their mother, Leslie Rotchford, the brothers said they were excited to see where the police officers work—Wyatt could not stop talking about how many police Legos he had at home. Before the tour began, Henry told New Canaanite: “I’m most excited to see the jail where the bad guys go.”

The boys got a sneak peek into the offices where police work, had their fingerprints taken and even sat in a police car. They also stopped in to see Officer Ron Bentley, who showed the brothers how he receives a 911 call.

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New Canaan Police Officer Saves Choking Victim’s Life

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An off-duty New Canaan Police officer on Tuesday afternoon saved a choking victim’s life at a sushi restaurant on Elm Street, officials say. Officer Shane Gibson at about 1:35 p.m., working an extra-duty job, heard multiple emergency 9-1-1 calls through police dispatch about a person choking at Sushi 25 restaurant, according to a press release issued by Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said. Police and members of the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps were dispatched to 25 Elm St., where Gibson quickly evaluated the choking victim, Krolikowski said. “Officer Gibson used the Heimlich maneuver on the victim to dislodge the food that the victim was choking on,” the chief said. “Officer Gibson saved the victim’s life.