By Brandi Makuski

The Plover Police Dept. on Thursday officially welcomed its newest officer.

K-9 Officer Ice, a year-and-a-half-old female German Shepard, officially started work on Dec. 12. Only a few days later, she’d already located drugs during the traffic stop of a suspicious vehicle, and on Thursday, she’d been “sworn in” as the newest member of the department.

“So we’ve already had one success with her,” Police Chief Dan Ault said. “Seth [Ofc. Seth Pionke] was on the road with her Monday, and by Wednesday we had one traffic stop, where Ice hit on a car with marijuana in the car. So she’s off to a great start.”

Pionke also recently returned to the PD, after being gone for several weeks of training at Haus Von Stolz Kennels in Lomira, a small city just south of Fond du Lac. Pionke completed 600 hours of training to become not only a K-9 handler, but also to become a trainer for other officers interested in handling K-9 partners.

Pionke said the training, and Ice herself, were donated by Haus Von Stolz — a $16,000 value.

The program was funded solely on donations, Ault said, to include a K-9 squad vehicle from Mark Motors, dog food from Jay-Mar and veterinary services from Oakview Veterinary Medical Center. While the dept. is still receiving donations — the most recent came in the form of a $1,000 check from Davita Dialysis in Plover — Ault said the unit will be funded by confiscated drugs and money sniffed out by Ice herself.

Ice, who graduated at the top of her class, according to Ault, gets her own badge, which she wears on her body armor vest.

The dog will wear multiple hats, according to Pionke, by accompanying him into local schools to meet with kids during his duty as the department’s Community Service Officer. Along with tracking drugs, Ice will also be able to track discarded items and people, as well as defend Pionke should he be attacked by a suspect.

“So if you had someone running on to a bridge, and toss a gun over the bridge, for instance, she’ll pick up that scent,” Pionke said. “Anything with a recent scent on it, she’ll find it.”

Ault referred to Ice as “another member of the Plover Police Department.”

“We’re happy to have her,” he added. “She’s going to make the village safer and help the jobs of every officer here.”