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MIDVALE -- The Midvale Police Department welcomed a new member to the force Saturday. A four-legged officer arrived in Salt Lake City by private jet from California.
Midvale's new addition is Kuno, a police dog. Kuno will join the ranks working side by side with Midvale's finest.
Kuno's arrival comes just a week after the department said goodbye to one of its own. Koda the police dog was shot and killed while chasing a burglary suspect through Midvale on New Year's Day.
"To lose Koda, the handler suffered a big loss," said Midvale Police Sgt. Torin Chambers.
Officers say Kuno, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, was a good fit right from the get go.
"It's a great feeling to have another dog back here so quickly," he says. "The support from the community and all other departments has been great."
After Koda's death, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office donated $10,000 for a new dog. Platt Electric Supply, a company in Oregon, also stepped in, donating $4,000 and the use of its private jet to transport Kuno from a kennel in California.
The company says it wanted to help when it heard what happened to Koda.
"It just touched me and what a terrible tragedy that was," says Harvey Platt, a spokesman for Platt Electric. "At the same time, how wonderful it was for the police officers that the dog was there to help them, so whatever we could do to make it better."
Midvale police say Kuno has some basic obedience training, but needs a few more months before he's ready to chase down bad guys alongside his human partners.
"Kuno will be learning how to do the job of a police dog," says Chambers. "[We'll] make sure he's up on looking for illegal drugs that he'll be tasked with finding. Making sure he's able to track suspects and apprehend suspects."
Kuno's handler was involved in choosing the K-9. The Midvale Police Department is not identifying him, citing an ongoing investigation of shooting in which the suspect, 22-year-old Tevita Fisiitalia, was killed.
Chambers says having Kuno will help with the healing process.
E-mail: aforester@ksl.com
