GRESHAM, Ore. — Gresham Police swore in their very first comfort K9 to the force Tuesday morning in the City Council Chambers.
The new department member’s name is Tagg. He’s a calm and comforting two-year-old black lab. His new role won’t be sniffing out crimes. Instead, he'll help his fellow human officers when they need some extra love, like only a dog can provide.
“The goal of this program is to provide emotional support during and following traumatic events. The program requires dedication; including a large commitment of time, training, patience and love in order to be successful. And that’s where Tagg comes in,” Gresham Chief of Police Robin Sells said.
In front of a packed house, Tagg raised his paw and was sworn in Tuesday morning. Some community members took a two-hour bus ride to City Hall just to see the event.
Chief Sells joked that she doesn’t typically see such a crowd for other swearing in ceremonies.
“I think, just by the number of people who are here, it tells us the power of the dog,” Sells said from the podium.
Dogs are essential to law enforcement across the country, not just in catching the bad guys, but in helping the good ones.
National numbers show nearly one in four police officers has thoughts of suicide at some point in their lives. Compared to the general population, law enforcement report much higher rates of depression, PTSD, burnout and other anxiety related mental health conditions, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“It’s a very difficult job. We see some bad things. We deal with people when they’re in their worst situations on a regular basis,” Officer Ben Costigan said. “And having this guy around is going to be really helpful for everybody.”
Studies have shown that having a dog around can lower blood pressure, have a calming effect, and improve cardiovascular health.
Not only will Tagg help people within the department. He’ll also be a comfort dog for crime and trauma victims in the community. He’ll be able to help with victim or witness interviews, can go to non-active high stress police calls and provide support for or any other situation where he can be of comfort.
Officer Costigan is Tagg’s handler. He tells KGW that in just the past week he’s seen how this pooch can have a positive impact.
“I’ve been taking him to roll call and at the beginning of shift. Everybody’s just super excited to see him,” Costigan said.
Tagg was donated to the department from the organization Guide Dogs for the Blind. He was in training to be a guide dog, but there was one little thing standing in the way.
“His need to 'go outside' a little too often eliminated him from their program. So, he decided he needed a career change,” Chief Sells said.
Lucky for Gresham Police, that career change brought him to their department. An amazing gift, because puppy kisses can be a sort of super power for officers when they need it most.
Bringing Tagg onto the force has been in the works for more than a year and has been funded entirely by donations. In addition to the Gresham Police Department’s partnership with Guide Dogs for the Blind, donations from the Gresham Police Officers Association, food from The NUTRO™, and veterinary care from Banfield Pet Hospital® and VCA Animal Hospitals have helped the Gresham Police Department build this program at virtually no cost to the department.
In the next few months he’ll go through extensive training, which has also been covered through donations. After that, the department will fund raise to cover Tagg’s care.
You can donate here.