Newberry Township Police K9 Tazer with a recent drug find. 

The Newberry Township Police Department’s K9 shown above with a recent drug seizure from a search warrant in York Haven Borough has been busy making the streets safe by finding drugs to get them off the street.  Since Tazer was placed into service, the department has had an increase in the number of drug seizures and searches.   The Department  has allowed school districts including the West Shore Schools to let Tazer search their buildings to help deter illegal drugs from entering the schools and children’s lives.  School districts in York County have benefited from the use of Tazer and the other K9 officers from York Area Regional Police and Springettsbury Township Police Department.  The three K9s of “Brando” , “Tazer” , and “Petro” have been working and training together and making a positive impact in our communities. 

The department has recently replaced the K9 vehicle with a used Ford Crown Victoria from our patrol fleet and had Tazer’s cage refurbished by Castle’s K9.  The cost for the refurbishing was paid by the department’s TEAM fund and contributions from fundraisers continue to pay for for the K9 program.  Thanks to all of you, Tazer is here to stay.

On May 24th the Newberry Township Police Department honored its members in their annual awards ceremony. Officers assembled at the monthly Township meeting so that their citizens and family could witness the event.

The following officers received awards at the program:

Detective Keith Farren received the Medal of Valor for his role in apprehending a homicide suspect and he also received the Officer of the Year award.

Sergeant Andrew Knaub received the Meritorious Service Medal for his role in supervising a homicide investigation.

Officer Michael Bosco received the Life Saving Medal for risking his life during a trench collapse to save a citizen.

Officer Jesse Bloom received the Life Saving Medal for risking his life during a trench collapse to save a citizen.

Officer Braxton Ditty received the Life Saving Medal for risking his life during a trench collapse to save a citizen.

Officer Braxton Ditty received the Chief’s Commendation for teaching a Standard Field Sobriety Class and for earning his Drug Recognition Expert certification.

Officer Chris Martinez received the Chief’s Commendation for raising funds to help purchase the department’s K9 officer and for completing K9 training.

Sergeant Richard Rocco received the Chief’s Commendation for his role in the investigation of a homicide in the Township.

Sergeant Jay Smith received the Chief’s Commendation for completing the department’s re-accreditation certification for 2011.

Sergeant Steven Lutz received the Chief’s Commendation for completing the department’s re-accreditation certification for 2011.

Sergeant Steven Lutz received the Chief’s Commendation for his role in a homicide investigation.

Officer Michael Briar received the Chief’s Commendation for his role in assisting officers during a homicide investigation.

The above picture is Officer Martinez and our new K-9 Tazer

The departments newest officer is Tazer a German shephard that is trained in drug detection, tracking,  and protection.  He and his handler graduated from K-9 training and are currently on the street in Newberry Township protecting the citizens and searching for narcotics.  The new K-9 will be used to search vehicles and buildings for illegal drugs in our community as well as searching for dangerous felons that flee from apprehension.  

This program was funded 100 percent by donations from citizens that supported the department and our efforts to obtain the dog from Castle’s K-9 Inc.   We successfully raised the $13,000 plus cost for the program and with the board of supervisor’s approval have provided this service to our community. 

We would like to thank all of those people that helped us in our efforts to secure the funding for the program.