K9 Oakley featured on Salinas police patches

The dog you see on a new Salinas police patch is more than just a pretty face, he is also a narcotics K9 with the department.

K9 Oakley is the first single-purpose narcotics canine the department has had in the last 30 years, and he can sniff out heroin, meth, cocaine and ecstasy.

The idea to pug Oakley on a patch came after he and his handler, Officer Zach Dunagan with the Violence Suppression Task Force, visited a school and a student asked if there was something they could hand out with Oakley on it.

The idea for a patch was approved, so now Oakley and Dunagan can pass it out when they visit schools. The department will also be selling them for $10 a patch soon. Police said proceeds will go towards the cost of the patches and other patch projects.

KION 2019