by Mari Radtke
Officer Cain Junkman started with the Sutherland Police Department in the Fall of 2024. Late in the year he introduced his K9 partner, Oliver to the Sutherland City Council. More recently, Officer Cain and Oliver have been meeting the public.
On February 12 they visited the Paullina Library. On February 26 they were at the Sutherland Library. Officer Cain estimates 20-25 excited youngsters, pre-school through 4th grade attended each introduction. He added that several adults joined, too.
Officer Cain read “When a K9 Goes to Work” to both crowds. He told stories about life with Oliver and answered questions for the excited kids. After the discussion, Oliver was brought in and met everyone. Oliver trading cards and candy were give out by Officer Cain.
Oliver is four and a half years old. He has been with Officer Cain for two of those years. He is trained to sniff out drugs, article recovery and tracking. Oliver is not an aggressive dog and is not trained to restrain or protect people.
Oliver and Officer Cain have already been on a tour of the South O’Brien High School on a “sniff mission.” The great news is nothing was found.