The Salisbury Police Department has another new addition to its K-9 Unit: Officer Daniel Derasmo will be taking on a handler position with his partner, Zanzi.

Derasmo’s goal of becoming a K-9 officer came from hearing stories of K-9 unit work from his grandfather, Ronald Boos.

Boos joined the U.S. Air Force at age 17 in 1955, where he transitioned from a pilot to the Military Police, and was offered a position as a K-9 handler.

Boos and his K-9 partner, Arbo, trained in the 3926th K-9 Section and then traveled the world together, working for the Air Force while being stationed at bases in Morocco and Alaska.

K-9 Arbo was an important part of Officer Boos’ life, and he shared stories of their bond throughout Derasmo’s childhood.

Inspired by his grandfather’s legacy, Derasmo followed in his footsteps and decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. After working hard throughout K-9 training, Derasmo finally applied and was accepted into the Salisbury Police Department.

In Salisbury, he met his partner, Zanzi, a 3-year-old German Shepherd from Slovakia.

The pair works well together, according to Derasmo. 

“K-9 Zanzi is the spitting image of my grandfather’s beloved K-9 Arbo,” Derasmo said.

 “Training with K-9 Zanzi was smooth, he knew exactly what to do – and I was the dummy behind the leash.”

Salisbury’s officers and their K-9 partners protect the city in a multitude of ways, whether it be tracking missing persons, apprehending suspects or locating evidence and contraband. K-9 partners are able to help officers work more safely and efficiently as they can perform tasks human officers can’t.

Zanzi is specifically trained to sniff out narcotics and assist in daily resident interactions. Along with their human partners, the K-9 unit is made up of four working dogs: Axel, Bolt, Chaos and Zanzi. 

“We are incredibly excited to have K-9 Zanzi join our K-9 unit at the Salisbury Police Department,” said Mayor Jack Heath. “Now, with four K-9 officers, we have a solid and well-rounded team to help support and protect the residents of Salisbury.”