Saxonburg Police acquire new K-9 from Middlesex
For the first time in over a decade, the Saxonburg Police will have a police dog on their staff, courtesy of a transfer from the adjacent Middlesex Police Department.
The K-9 officer, a German shepherd named Bolt, was transferred from Middlesex Township to Saxonburg this week. According to Saxonburg Police Chief Joe Beachem, this is the first police dog to join the Saxonburg Police Department in at least 14 years.
“We had one just before I was hired here,” said Beachem, who joined the Saxonburg Police in 2010. “The dog passed away before I started. It’s been quite a while — 14 or 15 years.”
The purchase was approved at Saxonburg’s monthly borough council meeting on Tuesday, July 16, and the transfer was subsequently approved by Middlesex Township at its supervisors meeting the following day.
Beachem said the Saxonburg Police have been looking into obtaining a K-9 for some time. The transfer was made possible when Bolt’s handler, officer Mark Heider, left the Middlesex Police Department and took a part-time position in Saxonburg.
“We’ve talked about adding a K-9 unit here for years,” Beachem said. “He’s a good dog with a good track record, and Mark Heider is a very experienced canine handler.”
According to Middlesex Township manager Jeffrey Winkle, Saxonburg has agreed to purchase Bolt from Middlesex Township for $4,000. The purchase agreement was necessary because, even though Bolt’s handler is now a Saxonburg employee, Bolt was still owned by Middlesex Township.
Bolt first joined the Middlesex Police Department in October 2022.
Like most police dogs, Bolt is specially trained to carry out a specific task. For Bolt, that task is to detect narcotics by smell.
“K-9 Bolt is a drug dog,” said Winkle. “He was trained to sniff out drugs.”
