The two newest recruits to the Waterloo Regional Police both have four legs. The two new police service dogs will officially join the canine unit at the end of the month.
After collecting more than 600 name suggestions from the community, the canine unit officially named one of the dogs River in honour of the Grand River and the 50th anniversary of the police service.
The second dog, officially named Milo, was named by the woodworking students at Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School after the police service partnered with the class to build new training obstacles for the canine unit.
River is a one-year-old German Shepherd and Belgian Malinios cross dog, and Milo is a one-year-old German Shepherd. Both were born in Czechia.
“On behalf of the police service, we are proud to officially welcome our newest members, River and Milo,” said Chief Mark Crowell in a release. “River and Milo join fellow canine team members, Ranger and Nicho, and will be valuable assets to the service, assisting in many types of investigations.”
Before reporting for duty, River and Milo will complete a 16-week training program. During the program, they will be taught obedience and agility while learning how to conduct proper tracking, property/evidence searches, building searches, handler protection, and criminal apprehension.
Regional police have used canines since 1986. The dogs are trained to support officers in tracking and apprehending suspects, locating missing persons, recovering stolen or missing property or evidence, and detecting hidden contraband, such as drugs, firearms, ammunition and currency.
JUNE 29
10:40 AM | Perth County OPP charged a driver clocked speeding more than 50 km/h over the posted speed limit in the Township of Perth East. An OPP officer on patrol in the area of Perth Road 121 observed a vehicle travelling in excess of 130 km/h in a posted 80 km/h zone. The driver, a 25-year-old resident of Mapleton Township, was charged with ‘drive motor vehicle - perform stunt - excessive speed’ and ‘drive motor vehicle - no currently validated permit.’ A 30-day driving suspension and 14-day vehicle impoundment were initiated. The accused driver is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Stratford at a later date to answer to the charges.
JUNE 30
3:29 PM | Emergency services responded to Hutchison Road in Wellesley Township following a head-on collision involving an SUV and a pickup truck. The driver of the SUV, a 48-year-old male, was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup truck, a 58-year-old male, reported no physical injuries. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Traffic Services Unit at 519-570-9777, ext. 8856.
3:33 PM | Waterloo Regional Police responded to a two-vehicle collision near the roundabout in St. Jacobs. A tractor-trailer was travelling north through the roundabout located at Arthur Street South and Sawmill Road, using both lanes to navigate the roundabout and a black Toyota also travelling north attempted to go around the tractor-trailer and struck the trailer. There were no physical injuries sustained as a result of this collision.
5:03 PM | An unknown male suspect attended a business located on Farmers Market Road in Woolwich Township and scanned several items using self-checkout. The suspect then exited the store without making an attempt to pay for the items. The suspect is described as a white male, 30-40 years old, 6’ tall, wearing a green shirt and black pants. The suspect left the area in a white Toyota. Anyone with information is asked to call police or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers.
JULY 2
3:54 AM | Waterloo Regional Police responded to a single-vehicle collision near Elmira. A grey Chevrolet was travelling north on New Jerusalem Road near Southfield Drive when deer entered the roadway. The vehicle swerved to avoid the deer and struck two road signs. There were no physical injuries sustained as a result of the collision.
JULY 3
4:18 PM | Police received a report of a theft in Elmira. Around 12:30 p.m. on July 2, an unknown male stole a package from the front porch of a home on Isaac Street. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call police or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers.
July 5
Maryhill firefighters responded Wednesday morning when a pickup truck ended up in ditch along St. Charles Street East and exploded. The driver was uninjured.
[Leah Gerber]
[Leah Gerber]
