VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Police Department just welcomed two of their newest members.
Chief Paul Neudigate swore in Simba, a two-year old Golden Retriever, and 18-month old Geo, a black Labrador Retriever.
“This is a privilege for me because this is not a bad gig to have. I get to bring a dog to work every day,” said VBPD Master Police Officer and Geo’s handler, Nicole Johannesen.
Both Simba and Geo are going to be comfort dogs for the department, as many employees deal with trauma while protecting citizens on a day-by-day basis.
“It's awesome to see just how easy it is for one simple dog to bring a smile to so many faces. From regular officers to training officers to swat members, detectives. Everyone really enjoys having them around,” Johannesen said.
Virginia Beach Police Officer Emily Kane applied to be a handler for Simba simply because she has seen how comfort dogs have the ability to brighten a person's day.
“There's been a couple of big events that have happened in Virginia Beach recently and it has affected the officers mentally, and that is a big issue that law enforcement has is mental health in the law enforcement profession, so having a comfort dog around he's there whenever we need him," Kane said.
"Whenever someone has a rough day or there was a bad call the night before, then I'll bring Simba around and he's there for them.”
Johannesen sought interest in the position to help break mental health stigmas in the law enforcement community. Both officers want to make an impact on their coworkers.
Simba and Geo are going to be around to show off their great personalities and put a smile on everyone's face!
A Virginia Beach Police spokeswoman says there is a possibility the department could get more comfort dogs in the future.
Author's Note: The video below is on file from Nov. 4, 2019.