Williamsburg Police get new K-9 after ‘Rico’ passes on

"Rico," a K-9 dog that served the Williamsburg Police Department for over five years, died last Oct.

The Williamsburg Police Department officially has a new member of its team.

K-9 "Tom" joined the department on Nov. 7 after he and K-9 Officer Brandon Prewitt completed certification through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Knoxville.

Tom is a three-year-old Belgian Malinois from Czechoslovakia, and is a dual purpose dog trained to track lost people, apprehend criminals and to search for drugs.

In late October and early November, Prewitt and Sgt. Jim Pool traveled to Loudon, Tennessee, to Cobra Canine where Prewitt completed two weeks of training with Tom.

Tom replaces "Rico," Prewitt’s former K-9 partner, who was retired from the police department on Oct. 11 and had to be put down due to bad health on Oct. 17.

Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird, who is a former K-9 officer, said that Rico was diagnosed with a hereditary degenerative disk disease, and got to the point where he couldn’t even stand on his back legs.

Bird said the department tossed around the decision about what to do with Rico for about a week before making deciding to put him down.

"It was tough and it was tough for Brandon too," Bird said adding that officers and their families grow close to police canines much the way they would a house pet.

Rico, who was nine years old when he died, became a member of the Williamsburg Police Department in January 2009 after he and Prewitt completed two weeks of training in Little Rock, Arkansas.

During his more than five years on patrol on the streets of Williamsburg, Rico was responsible for tracking down numerous criminals, in addition to several lost people and for removing drugs off the streets, Bird noted.

This lead to the seizure of thousands of dollars in cash that was forfeited to the Williamsburg Police Department.

"I hate what happened with Rico, but we ended up with an awesome dog in Tom," Bird added.

Rico cost the department $7,000 when he was acquired in 2009.

Bird said the department carries mortality insurance on its police canines, which includes disabilities, injuries and death.

It cost the department $12,000 just for the new dog and its training, which Bird noted were paid for through insurance proceeds after Rico’s death.

The department has one other dual purpose canine. Three-year-old Vicko is assigned to K-9 Officer Jason Strunk and has been with the department since July 2013.

Vicko is also a Belgian Malinois.

Bird said that the Malinois usually have a career of seven to 10 years before they have to retire.