An area police department today introduced a new officer with  special training. Officer Ciro has a nose for crime. It lets him sniff illegal drugs, escaped criminals, and even search and rescue missing persons.

You may be able to guess that the new member of the team is a police canine.

Officer Ciro made his first public appearance at a news conference Wednesday, hosted by Fiore Toyota which covered the purchase of the K9 and his training–a cost of around $15,000.

Ciro’s Handler Patrolman George Swander says his new partner can detect the four major illegal drugs–methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana and any of their derivatives such as ecstasy. Tracking individuals is also in the Belgian Malinois’s repertoire.

“Say a child gets lost, the parent knows he left this room, went out this door, out the backyard. No one has gone out that way,  I could take him tell him to find the track and it could be a successful track to locate a lost child or a child with autism,” Swander explained.

Patrolman Swander  says he and his new partner already have a strong bond. Ciro’s first day on patrol was Tuesday, November 13. He’s one and a half years old and comes from the Czech Republic. All of his commands are in the Dutch language.