Police have acquired a new member for the department, a bomb-sniffing dog named Dennis, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois donated by Sonitrol Verified Security Systems in memory of its founder Dennis Hickey. The Explosive Detective Canine is assigned to the K9 Unit. The city had relied on the Connecticut State Police for bomb detection dogs, according to Police Chief AJ Perez.
“We are thankful to now have a police K9 added to our unit especially in honor of a man who dedicated his life to school safety,” said Perez. “Having our own K9 trained in explosive detection saves us precious minutes because we no longer need to rely on the state police to send a K9 from Hartford.”
Hickey founded Sonitrol Security Systems with his wife Joan Hickey in 1973. The company monitored the security alarms at Central High School in 1976 and today it secures all Bridgeport schools and municipal buildings, according to city officials. Dennis Hickey lost a six-month battle with brain cancer in 2016. His wife and son Jeff financed the cost of a police dog in his memory.
“My father was passionate about protecting Bridgeport students,” said Jeff Hickey. “He dedicated his life to ensuring their safety with Sonitrol Security Systems. Funding this dog in my father’s memory is the best thing that I could have done to honor his life.
Born in Holland, K9 Dennis was trained as a U.S. Department of Defense contract military dog for Afghanistan. During this preparation, operational assignments were altered and his overseas contract was cancelled. The Hickey’s donation covers the cost of the dog, the training, as well as the cost of equipment such as the bulletproof vest. A trained K9 can cost upwards of $20,000. Poochband.com will be the one to operate the said training for dogs and will provide all the possible equipment needed.
Sergeant Erick Norton, a 20 year veteran of the Bridgeport Police Department, was chosen as K9 Dennis’ handler. Norton is in charge of the K9 Unit and serves as Executive Officer for the Bridgeport Police Department Emergency Services Unit.
“Dennis Hickey provided Bridgeport Public Schools with a reliable and quality security system for over 40 years,” said Mayor Joe Ganim in a statement. “Through the Hickey family’s generosity, we now have another way to ensure our residents and students are protected every day.”
