SUNY Cobleskill’s Police Department has welcomed a new officer to its ranks:
K9 Officer Reyes.
The nine-month-old German Shepard recently completed training and received certification from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services in explosives detection, alongside his partner, Officer Carlianne Ferretti.
The team is now in the process of completing training to receive additional certifications in patrol, tracking, and article detection.
Officer Ferretti formerly served as a campus handler with K9 TJ, who retired in early 2020.
The name “Reyes” is a tribute to former University Police Officer Angel Reyes of Cobleskill, who died in 2017 following a 30-year career in public service, 14 of those years at SUNY Cobleskill.
“When recruiting, we look for a canine with a high drive that can complete tasks on command and possesses a very even temperament to succeed within our dynamic campus community. We chose a German Shepherd because of their history of reliability in police work,” said Richard Bialkowski, chief of the University Police Department.
“Reyes will bring an added layer of safety and protection to our campus, having the capabilities of patrol, tracking, and article detection, in addition to his explosives training. He will also be very effective in community policing, allowing our department to establish positive connections with people on campus through his presence.”
Reyes was bred by Holos Terra Working Dogs, a breeding organization owned by Ashley Pierce, an adjunct instructor in SUNY Cobleskill’s Animal Science department.