Dristan is a Belgian Malinois.  She started her career in Law Enforcement in the United States Military but due to a minor injury she was unable to start her training.  She was deemed suitable for Civilian Law Enforcement and was quickly adopted by Wapakoneta PD in Ohio.  As soon as she arrived she met misfortune again when the department’s K-9 program was cut because of funding. 

Do to generous donations by several Greene County citizens and businesses the Bloomfield Police Department was able to purchase her.  After a quick bonding with her handler she was off to training.  It quickly became apparent how lucky Bloomfield P.D. was to get her.  She was able to go from not knowing any odors to detecting them on her own within a day. By the end of her second day she was almost ready for certification.  After 5 days of continuous training she was certified and ready to hit the streets.  Within a week she was bringing down Methamphetamine and Marijuana users in town and has proven her value.  Her trainer has stated that in 20 years of training Police Narcotics Dogs she is one of the best he has seen.  In training she routinely blows seasoned dogs away and keeps one step ahead of her trainers.

Not only does Dristan detect narcotics she is also the first certified Police Service Dog within Greene County.  Some of her daily duties are to protect her handler and other officers, search buildings for people and track down suspects that flee.  In the short time she has been here she has help locate numerous people hiding in fields and runaways.  On occasion she has even helped to find missing/lost children.

If you see Dristan on patrol feel free to stop and ask her handler questions. She doesn’t want anybody to misunderstand why she is here.  Dristan does ask that you stay a safe distance from the vehicle because she gets very protective of it.  It is her office and she likes to alert her handler when someone comes near.  Don’t walk up and try to pet her because she is working when she’s in town.  

Anyone wishing to donate to the Bloomfield K-9 program may do so at the Town Hall.  The program runs entirely on donations from local businesses and citizens and your continued support of the Bloomfield Police Department’s K-9 program is greatly appreciated and needed.

 

If you would like to see Dristan and her K-9 handler LT. Harvey Holt in action, video of their K-9 demo from Linton's National Night out on August 7, 2o12 has been uploaded to the Pictures page of this website.