Special Mahoning County deputy introduced today

YOUNGSTOWN

A newly acquired police dog will be introduced to the community at Saturday’s 7:05 p.m. Youngstown Phantoms hockey game at the Covelli Centre against the Sioux City Musketeers.

Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene showed reporters the dog, named Phantom, Wednesday, when the friendly and energetic canine eagerly and dutifully retrieved a baton thrown by his handler, Deputy Jeff Saluga, on a lawn behind the county jail building.

“The canine is trained to do drug sniffs and he also takes attack commands,” the sheriff said.

“A canine is a great assistance on the road. If we get into criminal stuff, you have building searches. You have tracking. It’s also great if you have a missing child. It can track the scent of the missing child to find them. It tracks criminals,” Saluga said.

Read more about the new deputy dog in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.