Police department welcomes Astro
As the saying goes, every dog has its day, and for Boulder Police Department’s newest police K- 9, Wednesday was that day.
Astro, a 1 ½ - year- old female lab and shorthaired pointer mix was sworn in Wednesday during Boulder police’s oath- of- office ceremony.
Astro will be an explosives and firearm detection dog who also will work in community engagement.
The police department recently relaunched its K- 9 Unit with a generous gift from a community member to help fund the program. Chief Maris Herold and City Manager Nuria RivieraVandermyde approved the creation of the new team, which eventually will help sniff out evidence during investigations.
“We all know Boulder is a dogfriendly city, and I’m sure the community will welcome her like we have,” Herold said. “This K- 9 team will be a great asset to the city and help us in keeping the public safe. Our new dog was made possible by the generosity of the community and their support for all of the great work our officers do every day.”
Sgt. Ryan Scheevel was instrumental in establishing the new program by analyzing call data to determine if the department could, in fact, benefit from a K- 9 unit. Scheevel said that upon looking at call data, he discovered that within the course of 14 months there were nearly 300 calls for service work that could have utilized a dog for various purposes. With this discovery, Scheevel wrote a proposal
and presented it to Herold and Deputy Chief Steve Redfearn.
“With my experience, having a K- 9 program associated with the department is going to be a huge asset,” Scheevel said. “It’s not only for our patrol folks but our detectives, helping out with calls for service and investigations, as well as a recruiting tool and a way to just give officers an additional assignment to work at the police department while they complete their careers here.”
Scheevel said that he anticipates Astro’s training will start this week. With her certification training expected to take six to
eight weeks, Scheevel said he’s hoping that by the middle to end of August she’ll be certified and able to hit the streets.
Although Scheevel won’t be involved in the training personally, as they’ll be relying on other law enforcement agencies with certified K- 9 trainers to help with the training, Scheevel will be the supervisor overseeing the program.
The Boulder Police Department has been without a K- 9 for more than 20 years, and according to Scheevel this new team will fill an important need when it comes to calls involving firearms and explosives. The team
also will be at numerous policerelated community engagement events.
Astro’s name also has a special meaning, serving as a tribute to fallen Boulder police Officer Eric Talley and his favorite sports team, the Houston Astros. Talley died in the line of duty while responding to a mass shooting at King Soopers on March 22, 2021.
Astro wasn’t alone on Wednesday in joining the department as 17 new officers were also sworn in. With the help of Scheevel raising Astro’s right paw, she was the last of the recruits Redfearn sworn in.