K-9 unit coming to Union City Police Department

UNION CITY, Tenn. — One local police department is adding an officer to their ranks with a new set of skills.

The Union City Police Department is gaining a four-legged officer soon. The City Council approved an agreement that will bring a K-9 officer back to the department.

“If K-9s are used correctly, they are a huge asset, the best tool that law enforcement has to combat the drug problem,” Officer Scott Watkins said.

Bator is the new K-9, an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois, and Officer Watkins has trained him. He owns a company that trains K-9s for departments across the country.

“We deal with law enforcement, private detection companies, but they go across the United States. We don’t deal strictly in this area,” he said.

This is the first K-9 the department has had since 2015. Officer Watkins said when he saw a need for a K-9, he got the ball rolling.

“Myself and the chief, we talked about it for some time, and my company, Final Alert K-9, were in a position where we could help out, and I was waiting to handle the dog again and felt the need for one,” Watkins said.

Members voted unanimously during Thursday’s meeting to bring a K-9 unit back to Union City.

Officer Watkins said Bator will be used for drug tracking and will always be on call.

“When they alert to the odor of narcotics, they sit and stare. They don’t scratch. They just stare at the source of the odor,” Watkins said.

Bator should be hitting the streets by the end of March.