The Wheeling Police Department K-9 Unit formally introduced its newest member today. K-9 Geist, who arrived at the department earlier this year, is a 2-year-old Dutch Shepherd trained in narcotics detection, suspect tracking, and apprehension. Geist will begin patrol duties in Wheeling this week.

K-9 Geist and his handler, Officer Patrick Ryan, recently completed several weeks of training at Merry K9 Services in Norwich, Ohio, where the pair worked on obedience, policing commands, apprehension techniques, and narcotics detection scenarios.

Geist is the first department K-9 to be named by area residents through a social media contest hosted by the department. The name “Geist” is German for “ghost.” German commands are commonly used by K-9 Units worldwide.

Geist was purchased with funding from the Stanton K-9 Foundation and the City of Wheeling.