Two Hutchinson police officers had a special request for new Police Chief Jeff Hooper. With help from Cause for Paws in Hutchinson, the request became a reality.
Officers James Sanders and Cory Schmidt man the two K9 units with the department. Their partners are Tank, a German Shepherd, and Nika, a Belgian Malinois. Sanders and Schmidt became interested in becoming K9 officers through two different avenues.
“Growing up in Newton, Kansas, I saw their K9 unit and it’s just something that always appealed to me,” Schmidt said. For Sanders, he found his love for working dogs and their service in the military. “My first experience with K9s would have been in the Marine Corps,” Sanders said. “I spent about 12 years doing combat arms, so I had the opportunity to see dogs work. It always interested me.”
(Read more: Hutch Post)