The Northampton Borough Police Department’s K-9 team is among a few others in the area to be featured in the 2024 K9 KOP Project calendar.

Vickie Richards and her team at K9 KOP Project puts the annual calendar together. K9 KOP Project is a nonprofit organization whose motto is “Dedication, Commitment, Loyalty.” The calendar is a fundraising effort to support K-9 units in the Lehigh Valley.

Police K-9 units featured in the calendar are Northampton, Allentown, Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township, Catasauqua and South Whitehall. The dogs featured are Kyra, Drax, Zora, Bean, Freija, Chico, Romke, Niko, Kali, Remi, Jax and Luka.

The Northampton Borough Police Department and other Lehigh Valley police departments follow a rich history of police working with dogs to provide safety in their respective communities. Northampton police K-9 Officer Geoffrey Perry’s four-footed police mate is named Chico. Perry said they make a great team.

Chico is a coal-black German shepherd put in service in Northampton during 2023. Perry describes Chico as a friendly and fun dog, when not in his K-9 uniform. But, when Chico puts on his police uniform, Perry said, “Chico is all police business.”

It was in Europe that dogs were first used on a large scale to aid police, starting around 1870. Police in Paris in the early 20th century began using dogs against roaming criminal gangs at night. But it was the police department in Ghent, Belgium, that introduced the first organized police dog service program in 1899.

The term K-9 is a homophone of the word canine. Canis - the Latin word meaning dog - is the genus that includes dogs, wolves, coyotes and jackals.

New York introduced canines in 1907. The canine use began in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. By the early 1960s, 24 law enforcement agencies across the United States employed K-9 units. Today, hundreds of police departments have K-9 units because of their popularity and ability to augment police services.

Perry said he values his job because he works with a highly trained partner that can do things that no human officer can do. The bond between a K-9 officer and his canine partner is highly developed, which makes them effective in serving the community.

Consider supporting this vital tool in a police department’s arsenal to keep you, your family, your neighbors and your community safe by calling the Northampton Police Department to purchase a 2024 K-9 calendar. If you do, Officer Perry will smile - and Chico might wag his tail.

More information is available by visiting k9kopproject.com or facebook.com/K9KopProject.