Two Leesburg Police officers and their K-9 partners came home victorious from a large-scale weekend competition.
The officers – Gary Herrero and John Scheer – took part in the 2nd Annual Central Florida K9 Competition at Hagerty High School in Oviedo. Herrero and his K-9, Banner, took second place, while Scheer and his dog, Boomer, came home fifth out of the 20 teams that participated.
The Leesburg Police Department’s K-9 unit has four teams, one assigned to each patrol squad. They provide service to Leesburg residents day and night, 365 days a year. Both Herrero and Scheer have served with the department’s K-9 unit for several years. They both also are members of the Mid-Florida SWAT team, which allowed Leesburg Police to integrate K-9s into its SWAT team operations.
“Dogs are a force multiplier and are invaluable to any law enforcement agency,” said Capt. Joe Iozzi, who serves as public information officer for the Leesburg Police Department. “We are fortunate to have such high-caliber handlers and canines working for us.”
