Meet Elsa -- Gwinnett's Newest K-9 Police Officer

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — The Gwinnett County Police Department's newest recruit will be hitting the streets thanks to a gift from a local woman.

Back in June, Police Chief Butch Ayers received a letter from a woman named Kathy Gestar. Her letter talked about the importance of police K-9 units, and included a generous surprise.

"Moved by the need for additional dogs and equipment, I founded the Cody Fund, named after my beloved Sheltie that passed away in 2008, to support police K-9 units in Gwinnett County," she wrote.

Geltar said she wanted to donate $12,000 toward the purchase and training of a new K-9 officer for the department.

That donation led to the department acquiring a Belgian Malinois, named Elsa.

Last week, Ayers and other police department officials presented Gestar with a framed photo of Elsa and offered their appreciation for her donation.

The event took place at the Rotary Club at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Elsa and her handler, Officer Dan Larsen, received their initial training at Tarheel Canine Training in Sanford, N.C. Elsa's first shift likely will be around February, after she has received all the necessary training.

She becomes one of nine dogs in the Gwinnett County K-9 unit. Each dog is assigned to a police officer handler.

They spend their entire work days with those handlers and, at the end of their shifts, go home to live with the officers and their families. In most cases, they also spend their retirement years with their human partner.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department