Police Blotter: Sheriff Gets a Dog

There's a new top dog in town—a sheriff's K9 named Ari.

Ari, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois/German shepherd cross began his duties with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office on Halloween night. He is one of two service canines working for the sheriff's office.

"Ari is going to be a great resource for the sheriff's office and the community," Deputy Doug Smith, Ari's handler and an eight-year veteran of the department, said in a news release. "We're looking forward to getting him to work."

Ari hails from the Czech Republic and is trained as both a patrol dog and drug detector. He can smell marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, the sheriff's office said.

Ari has a full range of job duties, including searching buildings, apprehending suspects and tracking missing persons.