East Lyme — The police department's newest K-9 took to the streets this month as a four-legged officer who not only helps maintain law and order, but also strengthens the department's relationship with the community.

Dom is his name. He's a 1½-year-old Belgian malinois born in Czech Republic who responds to German commands. He was certified Aug. 3 by the North American Police Work Dog Association to begin patrol and narcotics detection duties with his partner, Officer Bill Langman.

Despite parasites and a case of Lyme disease that plagued the dog throughout his 10-week training, Langman said Dom is now healthy, full of energy and "a rocket of a dog."

The K-9 is trained for such responsibilities as tracking, building searches, apprehension work, handler protection and obedience. On the drug side, he can detect crack, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and MDMA.

"He's a force multiplier for us," Langman said, using the military term for something that increases the effect of a force and the likelihood of a successful mission. "He's also a great community outreach tool."

Langman said people tend to associate interaction with the police as something negative, especially at a time when distrust of the police is widespread.

"But all the time, I'll have him out or they'll see the car and they'll instantly come up and want to have a conversation about the dog," he said. "It's a great way to reach out and get in touch with the community because it's something we can talk about."

East Lyme police Chief Mike Finkelstein reiterated the importance of Dom and his predecessors as community liaisons. "They're doing demos, they're out there interacting with the public, going to schools, going to events," he said.

Langman, an 8-year veteran of the department, said Dom is his first canine partner. The two have been a team since he brought home the dog from Shallow Creek Kennel in Sharpsville, Pa., in March.

The dog cost $8,495, according to department documents. The town budgets $3,000 annually for costs associated with keeping the dog.

It wasn't until Dom began his training class shortly after arriving in East Lyme that he started showing symptoms of an intestinal disease caused by the parasite Giardia, Langman said. Then the dog came down with Lyme disease.

Dom wasn't vaccinated for Lyme disease because the veterinarian recommended holding off while the K-9 was being treated for the Giardia infection, the handler said.

Dom ended up finishing his training behind the rest of his class, which included Groton Town police K-9s Jax and Loki. The other dogs graduated in June, but Langman said the East Lyme K-9 was too sick to complete the difficult tracking section with his classmates.

"But we finished up and we're out on the road," Langman said.

So far, no calls have come in requiring Dom's services, but Langman said he works with the dog every day to prepare him.

"One of the reasons we selected him is his very high drive. He actually needs to work," he said. "So we do something every day, whether it's tracking or finding somebody or just obedience. Everything he comes out of the car for has a purpose for work."

Dom lives with Langman, his wife and two sons, ages 4 and 2. Langman said the dog primarily stays in a kennel because the boys are still prone to jumping around, pushing and pulling unpredictably. The dog comes out of the kennel to work, use the outdoor facilities and to get a break from the enclosure.

"But when he is up with the family, he adores the kids," Langman said. "He'll come in the house and he nose-dives on the floor and goes belly-up for the boys."

According to Finkelstein, the department hasn't had a K-9 for two years. In that time, there have been many occasions when police dogs had to be called in from nearby towns when a search was needed.

"So this allows us to have a dog available on the shifts here, but also to participate in mutual aid in other towns that helped us out," he said.

The department's last two dogs, Jimo, a German shepherd, and Knox, a yellow Labrador retriever, left the department in 2019 after more than seven years of service.

Jimo, whose handler was Officer Michael Jezierski, died suddenly of cancer at the age of 9 on July 23 of that year. Knox was the same age when he retired just a few months later.

Finkelstein said Knox is living a "life of leisure" with his former handler, Officer Lindsay Cutillo, though the dog's health has been declining recently.

The department's previous K-9, Harley, died in 2010 after being hit by a car.

Langman said he wanted to become the department's newest handler because of the benefit to the community and how much he enjoyed working with dogs from other towns when they would come out on mutual aid calls.

"I love coming to work with Dom every day," he said.

e.regan@theday.com