Brick Police Welcome Newest K9 Officer Echo

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township has a new K9 officer, ready to begin his work with his handler, after the pair graduated K9 training last week.

K9 Officer Echo, a German shepherd, and his handler, Patrolman Scott Smith, completed a 16-week training course led by Sgt. James Reilly of the Toms River Police Department.

Smith and Echo were among several K9 officers from Ocean and Monmouth counties who completed the training after working together daily since September to train and prepare for police work. Reilly was assisted with the training by K9 handlers Sgt. Paul Catalina of Brick Township and Patrolman Anthony Carafa of Allenhurst.

Also attending portions of the training were Brick Township K9 Officer Vader, a Labrador retriever, and his handler, Patrolman John Turrin. Vader was becoming certified in scent tracking. Echo is a patrol dog, and Vader is an explosives detection dog.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Toms River Police Department, Brick Sgt. James Kelly said. where family, friends, and command staff of several departments gathered to celebrate the completion of the graduates’ training. These dogs are capable of tracking and patrol work, and could potentially go on to specialize in various areas of policing and public safety.

K9s live with their handlers, who often have families and other pets of their own, and quickly become a part of those families. Every day the handler goes to work, the K9 is eager to join him or her, expressing as much loyalty and protection as any police partner could ever offer. And those K9s also become a part of the larger law enforcement family, wearing bulletproof/stabproof vests, appearing with their handlers at community policing events, and putting on demonstrations. These animals bravely face the same dangers of their human counterparts every single day, Kelly said.

Some of the training completed by Echo and Smith over the 16-week course included agility, handler protection, officer protection, verbal command control, socialization, tracking scent, and building clearing.

Brick Township now has five K9 teams: Sgt. Paul Catalina and Duke; Patrolman Keith Prendeville and Max; Patrolman Daniel Fogarty and Rigby; Turrin and Vader, and Smith and Echo.

Patrolman Scott Smith and Echo with Police Chief James Riccio and Patrolman John Turrin and Vader. Photo by Toms River Police Department