The Wheeling Police Department has a new, enthusiastic four-legged employee protecting the city – K9 Virgil!

Virgil, a 20-month-old Belgian Malinois joins the K9 Unit as its newest member after being trained for several weeks with his handler, Cpl. Ryan Moore at Merry K9 Services in Norwich, Ohio.
 
Cpl. Moore and Virgil are trained and certified in narcotics detection and patrol, which includes tracking, apprehension, and searching. During the recent training, Virgil was able to become comfortable and acquainted with Cpl. Moore, learned various verbal commands and safety techniques, and was given scenarios to detect various types of illegal drugs.

“Virgil will be a great addition to the Wheeling Police Department and the greater Wheeling area,” said Cpl. Moore. “I am excited to be able to work with him and together get dangerous drugs off our streets. Virgil will make the city a safer place, not only for our citizens but for the officers that can utilize him in various situations.”

Virgil joins three other K9s currently working at the department – Jericho and Zero, who are trained in narcotic detection, and Ozzy, who is trained in explosive detection.