O’Fallon Officer and Canine Partner Win 'Top Dog'

O'Fallon Police Officer Thomas Thompson and his canine partner Ares participated in the United States Police Canine Association Patrol Dog Trial and Certification on June 8-10.

The event was held in O’Fallon, Illinois and canine teams from Illinois and Missouri participated. In order to certify, the canine teams had to pass a series of rigorous tests in the areas of obedience, evidence recovery, suspect scent detection, agility and suspect apprehension.

All of the phases of the certification were conducted without a leash, which required Officer Thompson to display complete control of Canine Ares during all series of the competition.

Due to Officer Thompson and Canine Ares high degree of skills throughout all phases of the competition, the team earned the title of “Top Dog” or the first place ranking as the number one police patrol dog for the United States Police Canine Association- Region 16.

Colonel Roy Joachimstaler, Chief of Police, stated, “The O’Fallon Police Department has a long history of earning the title of the “Top Dog” for Police Patrol Dogs, and we are all very proud of Officer Thompson and his partner Ares for their accomplishment in continuing this rich tradition.”

Information provided by the O'Fallon Police Department.