ORANGE — The Orange Police Department’s K9 program now has a little girl power.
Orka, a Belgian Malinois who turns 2 next month, joined the department on June 22 as the first female K9 in department history and the first trained in narcotics detection. K9 Officer Christopher Bisceglia said this will prove useful in combating the area’s opioid problem.
“We hope to put a dent in this obvious crisis that we’re going through,” he said.
Bisceglia said Orka was born in Slovakia before being moved to a vendor in New Mexico. He purchased Orka fully trained from Joshua Morton, owner of Canine Tactical in Iowa. Bisceglia opted for a fully trained dog after going months without a police K9 following the death of Matte, a German shepherd who died in early April.
Orka is a dual-purpose K9, meaning she is trained to detect drugs and is patrol certified, enabling her to apprehend suspects and track people when needed. Bisceglia said Orka is one of three police K9s in Franklin County, having canine comrades at the Montague Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
Bisceglia said Orka lives with him and his family in Orange, and is already adored by his three children.
“When that vest goes on, it’s time to work,” he said. “But, when the vest is off, she loves getting her belly rubbed and licking people’s faces.”
Orka’s protective vest was custom-made by Morton.
Bisceglia said the Pioneer Junior Women’s Club was instrumental in soliciting money to purchase Orka.
According to the Orange Police Department’s Facebook page, Matte died on April 6, four weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer. He had joined the police force in October 2007. Former K9 handler Officer Clay Rushford reported Matte experienced no pain and continued to work every day in his final weeks, once even tracking a suspect for a mile. Bisceglia said Matte is missed, but Orka matches her predecessor’s work ethic.
“She’s got some big paws to fill, but I think she’ll be fine,” he said.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or: 413-772-0261, ext. 258
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli