The Leesburg Police Department is welcoming a new K-9 to the ranks of its department.
K-9 Nick recently joined the department and is currently completing his required state trainings and certifications with his handler, Senior Officer Gary Herrero. That means Herrero and Nick will be handling calls in the Leesburg area in the near future.
“We’re confident K9 Nick will be an invaluable asset to our team and would like to thank our local businesses and civic groups who recently donated to our K9 program,” the police department posted on its Facebook page.
Hererro is no stranger to the K-9 unit, having recently had his former partner, Banner, retire because of age-related issues that were keeping him from performing at the high level was accustomed to throughout his entire career.
Overall, Banner was credited with 317 arrests, 96 felony suspect apprehensions, 99 suspect/evidence searches, pounds of illicit narcotic seizures and tens of thousands of dollars in cash seizures. He also took second place in the 2nd Annual Central Florida K9 Competition at Hagerty High School in Oviedo in December 2019, so there’s no question that Nick has some big paws to fill!
