Sheffield Lake Police unveil new K-9 officer

SHEFFIELD LAKE — Sheffield Lake police have a new four-legged officer, thanks in part to community donations. K-9 Officer Lenny and his handler, Officer Joshua McCoy, are still going through training to receive certification, but they made an appearance at the city's Safety Forces open house Saturday afternoon. Police Chief Andrew Kory said Lenny, once certified by the state, will help with missing-person cases, narcotics investigations and community outreach. The purebred German shepherd and his training cost about $10,000, all raised via donations or sponsorships gathered since last fall. "It's another tool to help us accomplish our goals of protecting the citizens of the city," Kory said. "That's our biggest priority right now: community involvement and protecting the citizens." Those sponsorships include funds from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8686, Gene Ptacek & Son Fire Equipment, Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson and Shoreway beverage. McCoy was an officer in Cleveland and Amherst before taking a transfer to his hometown department last fall and said the new position is an honor, but it's not an easy task. "There's some really good handlers out there that make it look easy. Those are the kind of guys you try to get a lot of help from and learn from," he said. Lenny has the foundational training in place, but he's still building on that, McCoy said. He said Lenny's training will prepare him for the worst conditions possible, to make him as successful as he can be while out on the road — and notes the 1-year-old pup has made leaps and bounds in his work. Lenny is also able to go into "off" mode and is great with McCoy's kids, he said, and thankfully his wife is OK with his fur clogging up the vacuum. Kory hopes Lenny will be fully certified by Sheffield Lake's Community Days festival in mid-July. Outside of Lenny's training costs, the departing is also accepting donations to pay for his food and equipment, including a bulletproof vest. Donations can be made via check to Sheffield Lake, with "K-9 Officer" in the memo line. Donations can be mailed to City Hall, 609 Harris Road, Sheffield Lake, OH 44054. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.