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The picturesque town of Sanford, Fla., was recently presented with two new additions to their police department?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s K-9 unit. The Girard Companies donated the two dogs ?EUR??,,????'?????<???(R) a Labrador retriever and a German shepherd. The Girard Companies, a full-service landscaping company, had good reason to donate the four-legged officers to the city, which is full of historic buildings dating from the late 19th century.
?EUR??,,????'?????<?With our business based in Sanford and most of our 200 full-time employees living here, we had every reason to help the police department make this a safer place to live, work and play,?EUR??,,????'?????<? said Leo Girard, executive vice president of The Girard Companies.
Girard himself is a former K-9 unit officer with the Cocoa Police Department of Florida and firmly believes that the dogs serve as an integral part of law enforcement.
A 15-month-old Labrador from Mexico named Girard, is currently being trained in narcotics detection. L.E.O. (short for Law Enforcement Officer) is a 15-month-old German shepherd. L.E.O is being trained as a full-service patrol dog who will be able to detect explosives, conduct building searches, help apprehend criminals, and provide handler protection once his training is complete. Training the dogs takes about four to six months.
The donation from The Girard Companies totaled $18,500. Sounds expensive for two dogs, but the cost covers their training and the cost of purchasing them. Girard and L.E.O are the sixth and seventh canines in the Sanford department.
Girard has been assigned to work with Officer Rebecca Wixson, a seven-year veteran of the Sanford Police Department and the first woman to work on the K-9 unit. L.E.O will be paired with Ted Butler who has been a Florida police officer for 11 years, four of which have been in Sanford.
?EUR??,,????'?????<?Since the Sanford K-9 unit began in 1987, the dogs have not only helped us on a tactical level, but they enable our officers to have extra protection and we?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?re able to save the department on man-power,?EUR??,,????'?????<? said Sgt. Ned Golden, head of Sanford?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s K-9 unit. ?EUR??,,????'?????<?They definitely help to protect and serve our citizens.?EUR??,,????'?????<?
For the past nine years, the K-9 unit has recovered a significant amount of narcotics and stolen money and have helped apprehend criminals and missing persons. Girard recently completed his first drug bust when he detected drugs hidden in a pedestrian?EUR??,,????'?????<???EUR?s shoe.
Established in 2005, The Girard Companies provides outdoor and landscaping services. The company serves all central Florida counties as well as Tampa Bay and the northeast Florida regions. The Girard Companies currently employs 200 full-time employees. For more information, visit www.girardonline.com
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