East Lyme issues badges to police K-9s Jimo, Knox

East Lyme - The Board of Selectmen welcomed two new police K-9s Wednesday during a brief ceremony to issue them badges.

Jimo, a German shepherd, and Knox, a yellow Labrador retriever, are both certified by the North American Police Work Dog Association.

"Knox, if you would raise your right paw," First Selectman Paul Formica joked as he handed Officer Lindsay Cutillo, Knox's handler, the K-9's badge and ID card.

The lab, with eight weeks of training, is certified as a narcotics dog and will return for more training to become a passive-alert narcotics dog.

Knox was purchased with donations to the Police Benevolent K-9 Fund, Formica said.

Jimo, a patrol dog whose handler is Officer Michael Jezierski, replaces Harley, the town's former police dog who was killed when he was hit by a car. Formica said the town's insurance company paid for Harley's replacement.

Jimo is cross-trained as a narcotics dog, trained not only to provide handler protection but also for evidence recovery and to detect and alert for drugs such as marijuana and ecstasy, Formica said.

"If we need the heavy work done, we call Jimo on that," Formica said.

- Jenna Cho