Photo by Scott McCloskey Wheeling police Cpl. Jason Martin walks his newest K-9 partner “Ozzy,” a 15-month-old German Shepherd, into the City-County Building Thursday.

Specifically trained in explosives detection, tracking and evidence recovery, the Wheeling Police Department introduced the newest member of its K-9 unit Thursday.

Ozzy, a 15-month-old German Shepherd, has spent the past two months in intensive training in metropolitan areas along the east coast including Times Square, Grand Central Station, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York and various areas of Connecticut.

During Ozzy’s enhanced training period, he and his handler, Wheeling police Cpl. Jason Martin, learned to find and detect certain odors, evidence, and explosives.

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said Ozzy will be a tremendous asset and resource for the department and region.

“Not only do we have a robust K-9 program at the Wheeling PD, but we have strong leadership that’s in charge of it in Cpl. Martin,” Schwertfeger said.

He said it is crucial in 2021 and moving forward that the department has access to such a vital resource.

Ozzy will be the only known explosive detection K-9 in the region. He replaces K-9 Declan, who was also trained in explosives.

Declan served the Wheeling Police Department for six years until his 2019 retirement. The new K-9 unit could be used at any large event in the Wheeling area, including events at Heritage Port, or events such as the Wheeling Christmas parade, according to Schwertfeger.

“We’re thankful to have Cpl. Martin back from training … and we’re ready to go to work,” Schwertfeger commented. “It’s perfect timing for all the spring and summer events coming up at Heritage Port and other locations. So we’re very well equipped moving into the future.”

Martin said he was thankful to all those who made Ozzy’s acquisition possible.

“It was a group effort that brought this dog here,” he said.

Still a young, energetic pup, Ozzy was raised and schooled through Black Rock Canine in Naugatuck, Conn. He was purchased thanks to a $15,000 donation from the Circus Saints and Sinners in Wheeling, $1,000 from residents of Montani Towers and $1,000 from Dr. and Mrs. Glenn Elliott Sr.

Schwertfeger said Ozzy was completely funded by donations, and he was very thankful to all the donors who helped make the newest K-9 acquisition possible.

“Originally, we raised the money to support the construction of a new K-9 training center,” said Saints and Sinners President Chuck Hood. “When that project was put on hold, Cpl. Martin contacted us and asked if we would be OK with the funds going toward the purchase of a new police dog. We readily agreed and are very happy to help welcome Ozzy to Wheeling.”

In addition to Ozzy, the Wheeling PD has two other K-9s on duty — Jericho and Zero.

A fourth K-9, which will be a patrol dog trained to detect narcotics, is planned for the future, according to Schwertfeger.