Farmington Police's 'Nash' Represents A New Brand Of Canine Officer

FARMINGTON, CT — The role of being a police officer is more than just, simply, catching the bad guys and pulling over traffic violators.

And such is the case for police dogs too.

The Farmington Police Department this week welcomed a new addition to its canine ranks, but its not exactly the kind of police dog you might expect.

Nash's job isn't to bare his teeth and chase down robbers or sniff out drugs.

It's to play the role of canine ambassadour and promote goodwill between the community and the department.

Monday, the FPD announced the Labrador retriever's arrival as the department's official service dog.

He is under the watch of Officer Anthony Ruggiero and he and Ruggiero's role is the vital task of community outreach, officer health and wellness and victim services, according to FPD spokesman Lt. Kory Vincent.

Vincent said Nash's arrival to Farmington is through an organization called "Puppies Behind Bars."

"Puppies Behind Bars" is a national nonprofit based out of New York City that trains incarcerated folks to work with dogs and prepare them for roles serving police departments.

It's, kind of, a full circle type of dynamic as the folks training the dogs previously were the people being chased by police dogs of another kind during much different times.

The organization then graduates trained dogs and awards them to participating police departments.

"We are very thankful to have been chosen to receive a service dog," Vincent said via email.

Last week, Puppies Behind Bars announced four other dogs were awarded to law enforcement units in the northeast, including Milbury, Mass.; a U.S. Army base; Bristol; and Milford.

Vincent explained the difference between Nash's role and most traditional police dogs.

"The functions of a police service dog are much different from the traditional police K9," Vincent said. "A police K9 is not typically used for community engagement, outside of an occasional demonstration, while Nash and his handler, Officer Anthony Ruggiero, will be assigned to the community policing unit where they will engage with the public, visit schools, nursing homes, senior centers and businesses."

Vincent said Nash is trained to be a people person and be a friendly canine face for the FPD.

Of course, Nash isn't the only dog on the force in Farmington.

Nash joins current K9 police dog Ozzy (who presumably doesn't 'Bark at the Moon' like another famous "Ozzy"). The FPD's Ozzy is a traditional pooch who has been in town since 2020.

The Belgian Malinois, Vincent said, is assigned to FPD Officer Kyle Mortensen.

It's not known if Nash and Ozzy are police pals just yet, but the human police in Farmington say canines assigned to Nash's duties are just as vital for community and department morale.

"Implementing service dogs within police departments has become a popular way to connect police officers with the community and is an invaluable tool in providing emotional health support to officers," Vincent said.

For more information on the Farmington Police Department, click on this link.

For more information on 'Puppies Behind Bars,' click on this link.