While it has been over four years since the Greencastle Police Department has had a K9 presence, all that is ending now, according to police chief Christopher Jones. 

"Without the K9 here, we have had to rely solely on the assistance of outside agencies to utilize their K9 when needed. Oftentimes, this is an issue just because of schedules and communication issues with folks outside our department. This is pretty much eliminated with having a K9 at the department because everyone here knows the schedule and has multiple ways of communicating with the K9 officer," Jones told The Putnam County Post.

The newest member of the department will be 2-year-old German Shepherd, 

K9 officer Ziva, who is currently being trained in narcotics detection and tracking. 

Jones said Ziva will be assigned to K9 handler Officer Angela Taylor, who is a three year veteran of the department. 

Ziva was donated to the department by Blue Line Kennel LLC of Reelsville and the likes of the Putnam County Adult Probation Department, Taylor's Hometown Hardware, Mayor Bill Dory, JTN Services, Clerk Treasurer Lynda Dunbar, the Greencastle Board of Public Works and Safety and Tom Handy all helped make it possible for the program to come back to the police department. 

"Ziva will be a welcomed addition to our department as we continue to combat the illegal drugs in our community. The drug problem is not going away and hasn't really decreased considering we came through a pandemic just a couple years ago. Having K9 Ziva at the Greencastle Police Department will help us better serve and protect our community and not have to rely on outside assistance," Jones said.  

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