Fox Chapel K-9 officer gets new partner

Meet Falco, the Fox Chapel Police Department's newest member.

The 2-year-old Dutch Shepherd recently joined the force after completing 12 weeks of training at the Hermitage, Pa.-based Shallow Creek Kennels.

He takes the place of Havoc, who served 12 years before retiring at the end of 2015 to live with Falco and their handler, Officer Rob Katich.

“Having a marked police K-9 unit clearly states the police department's proactive intent to keep the community safe,” said Katich, who also handled the borough's first police dog, a Belgian Malinois named Keno.

Katich said a K-9 unit benefits the community with suspect location and crowd control, as well as having a presence in the Fox Chapel Area schools through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.

In its 17th year with a K-9 unit, Fox Chapel Council is seeking the public's help to offset the $24,000 cost of the program.

Police Chief David Laux said council opened an account for residents to donate directly to the police dog.

Laux believes the K-9 unit bolsters the department and can benefit neighboring municipalities too.

“The dog can aid in searches for missing persons,” Laux said. “The dog's presence at school events can effectively calm down rowdy fans and the dog can and has sniffed out illegal drugs, both at residents' homes as well as at school searches.”

Laux said the police dog also helps with public relations.

“Officer Katich gave a presentation to the Fox Chapel Rotary that I am still getting positive comments about,” Laux said.

An officer for 24 years, Katich came to the borough from the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Maryland, where he said he witnessed first-hand the benefit of having a K-9 unit.

He lobbied Laux to start a K-9 unit here and it's now 17 years and three dogs later. Katich has since become a certified trainer with the North American Police Work Dog Association.

“There have been studies that prove that communities with a K-9 unit experience lower rates of burglaries and other serious crimes,” Katich said. “Fox Chapel is no different, continuing to maintain a lower rate of burglaries in comparison to neighboring communities who don't have a K-9 unit.”

He believes so strongly in the program that he paid $12,000 for Havoc and trained other dogs in trade for Falco, both from Shallow Creek Kennels, with no borough funds.

He paid the cost of training, too, before donating the dogs to the borough.

He spends at least four hours a week maintaining the dogs' training.

“It's a lot of dedication,” Katich said. “It's not like coming home and putting your uniform away. It's a major part of my life.”

The new donation fund will help ensure that Falco continues as an invaluable member on the force, he said.

To donate, mail a check marked “K-9” to 401 Fox Chapel Road, Fox Chapel, PA 15238 or call 412-963-1100.

Tawnya Panizzi is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2.

or at tpanizzi@tribweb.com.