MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Moorhead Police Department has welcomed a new K9 team to its ranks as K9 Raider officially began duty alongside his handler, Officer Eric Moore.
Raider, a Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix born in Slovakia, recently completed a 12-week dual-purpose training program focused on narcotics detection, tracking, and apprehension. He now joins K9s Dex and Gimli as the department's third active K9 team.
Officer Moore said Raider's training began with basic obedience before advancing to more specialized law enforcement skills, including building searches, human scent detection, tracking, and suspect apprehension. Department leaders say K9 teams provide capabilities that officers cannot easily replicate, particularly when it comes to tracking and scent detection.
Raider's name carries special meaning for Moore, a Marine Corps veteran, who named the dog after the Alpha Raiders infantry company in which he served. Despite his law enforcement training, Moore described Raider as a highly social dog who enjoys interacting with the public and is expected to participate in upcoming community events such as Night to Unite.
The addition of Raider was made possible through a $13,500 donation from local supporter Roger Erickson, owner of Farmstead Living. Erickson has previously contributed to the department's K9 program and helped fund K9s Dex and Gimli, who continue to serve the Moorhead community.
Police officials say Raider is already making an impact as he begins his service with the department and looks forward to strengthening relationships with the community while supporting public safety efforts.