SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WKRG) – A new four-legged member has joined the Spanish Fort Police Department and his job is a little different than most officers, meet Ray.
Although, he might be extremely cute, Ray is a working police K-9 officer. While some K-9s are trained to sniff out items such as drugs or bombs, Ray is trained for to detect a person’s cortisol levels.
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“Cortisol is a stress hormone. We know dogs can smell extremely well. His training was on cortisol, so he’ll alert to it almost like a dog would alert to a drug.” Chief John Barber with the Spanish Fort Police Department explained. “If you put him in a room full of people, he will say hello to everybody, but he’ll naturally gravitate towards a person that has a higher stress level. He’ll nudge on or next to them, and he’s trying to provide comfort to that person.”
Ray was donated to the police department by the Spanish Fort Law Enforcement Foundation and did not cost taxpayers any money.
He is trained to step in during some of life’s hardest moments, offering comfort to victims of crimes, witnesses and even the officers around him.
“I think it helps resolve a lot of the stress issues that occur with traumatic events,” Barber said. “He is a great dog, a great asset for our department in our community.”
It’s been a busy first day on the force, and Ray has a full schedule making rounds and already lifting spirits.
“You can walk around with him and he’ll want to go meet a kid. He’s going to be in our schools. He’s going to be at city council meetings,” Chief Barber said. “I think we oftentimes get a bad rap in law enforcement. What a better thing to have than a K-9 that’s out there for the community, for the officers, for our victims. If we have victims out there that need that little stress relief, I think it’s just a wonderful program and we’re so happy to have him here.”
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His badge might look a little different, but his impact is already being felt throughout the community…