SOUTHWICK – The two members of the Southwick K-9 unit have completed the entirety of the K-9 program and are out and about in the community.
K-9 handler officer Michael Westcott and K-9 General finished their narcotics training in late January. For the narcotics phase of the program, Westcott and General endured four weeks of training that helped them to learn how to identify different narcotic substances.
Southwick Police K-9 handler Mike Westcott seen with K-9 General. (Photo courtesy of Southwick Police Department)
Previous to that, the two members of the K-9 unit took part in the first phase of the program, which allowed General to become a certified police utility dog. After earning that title, General is now certified in Obedience, Article Search, Area Search, Building Search, Tracking, Handler Protection, and Aggression Control.
Westcott and General are now out on the streets of Southwick patrolling and waiting to be called for duty. Observing the training and patrols thus far, Westcott is happy with General’s progress.
“It’s been going awesome, he’s a great dog,” said Westcott.
Being a K-9 handler is a responsibility that he’s always wanted to pursue.
“It’s always what I wanted to do,” said Westcott. “I always tried to get into it as much as I could.”
Sgt. Tom Krutka, who was the previous K-9 handler would get assistance from Westcott during trainings.
On August 1, it was announced that Westcott would become the next K-9 handler after Krutka was promoted to a Sergeant’s position. Krutka had been the handler for 10 years, alongside his K-9, Jax, who retired and now lives with him at home.
On October 3 2017, General was selected as the new K-9. He was named after Jack Jeneral, a Southwick resident who gave the Southwick Police Department a donation of $8,000 to go towards the department’s K-9 fund.
