EDINBURG, Texas (KVEO) — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Police Department has added a new member to their K-9 team.
According to a release, K-9 Officer Eyka, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, trained in Europe before joining UTRGV PD.
She joins Odin and Suzy.
Eyka is working with her handler Officer Isaac De La Garza every day to learn her new responsibilities.
“We started training in November and finished the academy in mid-December,” De La Garza said. “There are 26 odors that she’s trained to find and when she detects that odor, she can either sit down or lay down to indicate that there might be an explosive in that area.”
Officials with the department mention that each dog’s role varies but adds all have gone through rigorous training.
The release mentions the K-9 officers are responsible for all UTRGV campuses, however, they also assist other police departments when necessary.
