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“Every day presents new challenges, and I’m blessed with how exhilarating this journey has been,” O’Brien said in a news release from the police union.
In the past year, the duo’s highlights include: finding Frank Douglas, the suspect who Officer Troy Strauser was chasing when he fell from a bridge abutment on I-95; arresting a suspected gang member who was found with a .45-caliber handgun used in a double shooting; and helping to find a person in Greenwich threatening to commit suicide, the release said.
“The dedication and commitment of Officer O’Brien is what makes Stamford such a positive community for families to live and for companies to set down roots.” Sgt. Joseph Kennedy, president of the union, said in the release.
O’Brien joined the force in 2004 as a member of the patrol division and was selected to re-establish the K-9 unit in 2009, the release said. He has also worked in the Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit and has been a member of the department’s color guard for the past eight years.
“Dogs were my passion long before I got to work with them for my job. When I was selected to be a part of restoring the K-9 Unit in Stamford, it felt like a perfect fit. Now, I am able to combine two things that I love doing; policing and helping with dogs.” O’Brien said in the release.
He holds his national and state Police K-9 Handler certificates and is one of four officers in the state who can certify K-9 teams for the National Police Canine Association, the release said. O’Brien and Cooper, a 6-year-old German shepherd, are primarily responsible for tracking illegal drugs, the release said.
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