Police to Get Canine Help Thanks to UCLA Agency

The city’s police officers will soon be getting some canine assistance thanks to UCLA.

The Police Department is in the process of purchasing a dog at a discount from the UCLA university Police Department, which is disbanding its canine unit, city officials said.

“This will make the department able to respond more quickly to incidents where a canine would be of assistance,” said Police Chief Mike Berkow.

South Pasadena will pay $1,700 for the dog and the equipment needed for a K-9 unit, Berkow said. Usually a trained dog with such equipment can run as much as $6,000 to $7,000.