New K9 making a difference for Beckley PD - WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports

BECKLEY (WVVA) - The Beckley PD has beefed up its K9 Unit.

Ciro, a German Shepherd from the Slovak Republic, has joined the squad. Ciro is about 1 and a half years old.

The addition brings the department to a total of three dogs.

Ciro went through four months of training prior to joining the department at the end of December.

The new K9 handler, Cpl. Jamie Blume, says Ciro has already proven to be an asset to the team.

"He had, I would say, close to 20 marijuana finds and two or three cocaine finds," Blume said. "His biggest yet came from a traffic stop. He got a half a pound of marijuana, which resulted in two felony arrests and approximately $500 worth of cash seized from the vehicle."

Blume says Ciro also recovered a purse in the woods behind the Exhibition Coal Mine.

Blume added that Ciro was well worth the $12,000 the force paid to buy and train him.