K-9 Unit
K-9 Unit
Sandy Springs Police have three K-9 dogs. Two are Belgian Malinois and one a Bloodhound. The Belgians, Romy and Rock, are trained in drug detection, criminal apprehension, tracking, article search, and building search. Seven is trained for trailing which is commonly used for children and / or Alzheimer's victims, who become lost.
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Officer Dewald joined the Sandy Springs Police Department in 2006 and was one of the charter members. He came from DeKalb County Police Department where he worked criminal Interdiction, Gang Enforcement, as well as Uniform Patrol. Officer Dewald is the recipient of several awards including National Street Level Interdiction Officer of the Year 2005 & 2007, Largest Interstate Weapons Seizure 2006 & 2007, The Medal of Honor, The Georgia Public Safety Award (Governor’s Medal), DeKalb County Bar Association Award, and named twice DeKalb County’s Officer of the Year.
"Rock" is a Belgian Malinois, imported from Holland. Once paired with Officer Dewald, they underwent nine weeks of training before hitting the streets.
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Officer Jon Castro has been with the Sandy Springs Police Dept since 2008. He previously spent seven years with the Atlanta Police Department where he served in the patrol division and then later was assigned to the motorcycle unit.
Officer Castro became interested in the K-9 unit and when given the opportunity he interviewed for the position and was introduced to his new partner, police K-9 Seven.
Seven is a three year old Bloodhound. He gets this name from the patch of white fur on his chest in the shape of a “7”. He was donated to the SSPD from a breeder in Massachusetts. Seven is sweet; mild tempered, and is very smart. He is trained to trail, holding two national certifications for trailing. He is utilized in finding suspects and missing persons of all ages.
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Officer Sean Hanse and K-9 "Romy" are assigned to the uniform division of the SSPD. Officer Hanse is an experienced K-9 handler having retired from Fulton County Police K-9 unit before joining SSPD in 2006. Romy is a Belgian Malinois, specifically trained for drug interdiction and patrol duty. The pair were recently credited with the apprehension of a bank robbery suspect in north Sandy Springs. After fleeing the bank, the suspect held up in an adjacent fast-food restaurant but surrendered to Officer Hanse after being informed that Romy would be sent in if he did not.
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K-9 Amos was presented to Officer Mike Dewald shortly after the department startup in 2006. Amos worked several years in the area of drug interdiction and patrol with Officer Dewald until his retirement in 2009 due to illness. He now lives a comfortable retirement at home with Officer Dewald and Rock.
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