K-9 Unit
The mission of the K9 Unit is to locate people and/or things at or near crime scenes and provide protection to the community and officers. Generally, a K9 team will be applied as a sophisticated tool to enhance the capabilities of Patrol at a crime scene.
The unit strives to be diverse in its applications to maximize the abilities of the canines in the investigation of crimes with the safety of the community its’ top priority.
The K9 Unit provides support for the Holliston Police Department's Patrol division and detective division for patrol investigations, suspect apprehension, tactical operations, evidence searches, as well as assisting in searching for missing persons.
Meet k9 Mattis
January 18, 2019: K-Mattis is an 18-month old male German Shepard. K-9 Sergeant Todd Hagan and K-9 Mattis successfully completed the 14 week (540 hour) Boston Police K9 Academy on December 28, 2018. Sergeant Hagan and K-9 Mattis are available for K-9 deployment calls for the town of Holliston and mutual aid. We are very proud of their extraordinary accomplishment, as this program is intensive and demanding both physically and mentally.
And no, that isn't a typo. K-9 Mattis replaced K-9 Max during training at the Boston Police K-9 Academy. K-9 trainers at the academy constantly evaluate the canines, the handlers, and the canine/handler teams. It was during this time that K-9 Max was showing signs of low work drive, which could have potentially lead to difficulty in passing some of the certification requirements. This is not an uncommon occurrence during this particular type of training program. While all of the dogs are tested before the start of each class, it's difficult to predict how any one particular animal will adapt to the strict training regiment that is required of a Police K-9. After consultation with the academy director, the decision was made to replace K-9 Max with a new canine. This decision is never an easy one, but one that the K-9 trainers take very seriously. K-9 Max was returned to the breeder.
We are happy to report that Sergeant Hagan and K-9 Mattis have done exceptionally well at the academy and have already been deployed to calls during their schedule shifts, and most recently assisting the Millis Police Department with an active breaking and entering investigation on January 9th. We wish our new department member and team the best of luck going forward.
friends of holliston police k9
This excellent program can't run without the support of the community. If you're interested in supporting the Holliston K9 Unit, consider becoming a member of the "Friends of the Holliston Police K-9".
Meet retired k9 Cesh
K9 Cesh began his retirement in April 2017. Retired K9 Cesh is a Dutch Shepherd/Belgian Malinois. He was born on December 18, 2011 at the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department. K9 Cesh was one of twelve in his litter and was a part of Sheriff McDonald's new K9 breeding program. We hope you enjoy your retirement, K9 Cesh! Good boy!
Photographed Above:
Chief Stone & K-9 Cesh (Photo courtesy of Kozowyk & MA Vest-A-Dog)
A special thanks to Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog who awarded us $5,000.00 to start Holliston's K9 program. We couldn't have done it without them!