The Winston-Salem Police Department has added a new member to its team. A bloodhound named Bocephus was introduced to city council this week during a meeting at city hall.
The dog, also known as Bo, is trained in scent discrimination. Police Captain Chris Phillips told council members the dog will be used in high-risk cases, particularly those involving missing children and individuals with disabilities.
“So if you happen to go missing or we can't find you, we would like to take a piece of your clothing, an article, and Bocephus will then sniff that article, and then he would start to take off and hopefully try to find you,” Phillips said.
Officials say the dog’s tracking abilities can help speed up response times in critical situations. Bo came to the department from Georgia K9 after completing basic training. He finished an additional ten weeks of instruction with WSPD earlier this year.
The purchase was funded through a grant from the Winston-Salem Police Foundation in partnership with the Forsyth Kennel Club.