Roseville Gets a New K-9

The Roseville Police Department has a new member: K-9 Sieger.

The city of Roseville said, in a news statement, that Sieger and his handler, police officer Brooke Jennings, recently completed three months of intensive training at the St. Paul Police K-9 School. Jennings and her dog graduated from training on May 26.

According to the city, Sieger is an all black German shepherd dog who was donated to the city, The dog is about 16 months old has been living with Jennings since February, city officials said.

Police officers who have service dogs work with their animals in the areas of obedience, agility, tracking, article searches, muzzle work and apprehension.

Officer Jennings, in a statement, described the training as “very challenging.”

Sieger replaces K-9 Major, who was left paralyzed in his hind legs after getting stabbed several while searching for suspects in an attempted burglary in Maplewood last November.  Major was retired from the Roseville PD shortly afterward.

Jennings has been a member of on the Roseville Police since September 2005. She and her dog are scheduled to get narcotics training this fall, the city said.

Currently, Roseville Police have two other trained police dogs-Tasco, who works with Officer Tom Gray, and Velo, who works with Officer Brady Martin, the city said.

Roseville Lt. Lorne Rosand said the PD has three K-9s, a large number for the 50-member police staff.

Founded in 1976, the Roseville Canine Unit is intended to make police work safer and more efficient for officers who patrol the streets, the city said.

“A K-9 is a force multiplier," Rosand told Roseville Patch.  ”The K-9s help supplement the Police Department in “skills in searching for people as well as sniffing out drugs,” he said. The dogs also help spprehending suspects and can serve as a deterrent to criminal activity, he said.