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City Council greeted the newest member of the Battle Ground Police Department at their March 1st Study Session. Police Chief Mike Fort introduced K9 Charlie, along with his partner and handler, Officer Clint Fraser.
At only 18 months old, Charlie is the youngest member of the department, but he has a real nose for police work. Charlie and Officer Fraser recently completed 16 weeks of training and, as a team, earned state certification for both patrol and narcotics detection work.
Charlie is a German Shepherd, born in the Czech Republic. He spent his younger months in Alabama before coming to Battle Ground for a career in police work.
“Charlie is a great dog and we love training and working together”, said handler and partner Clint Fraser, “He is even-keeled, knows when it’s time to go to work, and gets the job done.
“And”, added Officer Fraser, “he’s very social and a bit of a goof-ball”.
Clint Fraser has served with the Battle Ground Police Department for 15 years. Dogs have always been part of his life and one of his professional goals was to serve with a K9 partner. He appreciates the value Charlie brings to patrol work, to the department, and to the community.
The dog’s primary job is to search and find. He assists officers by searching for and locating evidence and suspects with his superior sense of smell. When not on patrol, K9 teams love to engage with the community at events and in schools. Charlie and Officer Fraser look forward to maintaining that tradition as health protocols allow.
Battle Ground’s K9 program was paused after the retirement of K9 Luca in November of 2019. In keeping its promise to the community, City Council adopted a 2021 budget with additional police department funding to maintain and support programs and services, including the K9 program. Support of the program also came from Vancouver Police Department Master K9 handlers who graciously provided training for Battle Ground’s team at no cost.
“I am so happy to introduce our new K9 Team” said Chief Fort, “We heard how much the community values the program for its police work and for the opportunities to engage with the community.”
Since training and certification, Charlie and Officer Fraser are actively working on patrol. You may seem them in the K9 vehicle in your neighborhood - be sure to wave and welcome Charlie to Battle Ground!