Warrington Township Police K9 Unit Finds Ways To Connect

Warrington Township’s Police K9 Unit has found a creative way to stay engaged with the community, while maintaining social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have launched an internet story time and activity page series to help stay connected to children and families in the communities they serve, since the department’s community programs and meet and greets have been temporarily suspended.

Officer Stephen Plum and his K9 Murphy shared their first story time video earlier this month on the unit’s Facebook page and Murphy’s Instagram page, reading Pout Pout Fish in the Big Dark. The story time was so popular that the duo decided to continue the program, asking viewers to recommend stories for them to read and also to share photos of themselves reading to their own dogs, on the Police K9 unit’s Facebook page.

“Our very first, impromptu story time was so well-received, with more than 16,400 views, that we decided to continue having Murphy share other stories with our Facebook followers,” said Officer Plum. “Our second story was Green Eggs and Ham.”

Officer John Blanchard and his K9 Jolie create activity pages for children and share them via Facebook each week. Pages can be printed or downloaded and once they are completed, Officer Blanchard and Jolie encourage kids and their families to share the activity pages with them on the K9 Police Unit Facebook page.

Credit for the development of the story time and activity series goes to Officer Jessica Bloomingdale and Officer Plum’s wife Nancy, who saw an opportunity for the officers to creatively connect with kids and families throughout the community via social media. The K9 officers are finding that now, more than ever, kids need something to look forward to, and this program is a great tool to help keep the community engaged with the K9 team.

“We would like to take this time to thank the community for their overwhelming response to the story times and activity pages. In our effort to brighten the days of members of the community, we have found that their responses brighten our days as well, said Chief Daniel Friel. “Special thanks to Peregrine and Associates for their help with our community engagement program. They are a local business in Warrington and take care of all of our promotional materials and activity pages.”

For more information about K9s Murphy and Jolie and their internet story time and activity series visit https://www.facebook.com/WPDK9Unit/. You can also follow them on Instagram at @Murphytheworkingdog and @Jolie_K9, and on Tik Tok under @Murphytheworkingdog and @K9jolie.

About Warrington Police K9s Murphy and Jolie

Murphy and Jolie are brother and sister Dutch Shepherds born in May 2017. They were named after two working canines who were deployed to the Pentagon and the Staten Island landfill after the September 11 attacks. Officers Stephen Plum and John Blanchard were selected as handlers for the K9 Unit and began patrol school with their canines in September of 2018 with the PennVet Working Dog Center. K9 Jolie is a duel-purpose working dog, certified in the area of Patrol work as well as explosives detection. K9 Murphy is a duel-purpose working dog, certified in the area of Patrol work as well as in the detection of drugs.

About Warrington Township Police Department

It is the mission of the Warrington Township Police Department to provide a safe a secure environment for the citizens and visitors of Warrington Township. The Department strives to provide the highest quality police service possible with the goal of protecting lives and property and maintaining order, while forming a partnership with the community. Officers of pledge to enforce all laws fairly and impartially while working within the framework of the United States and Pennsylvania Constitutions. Members of the Warrington Township Police Department will at all times conduct themselves in a highly ethical manner that will ensure the highest level of trust from the community we serve. For more information about Warrington Township Police Department visit www.warringtontownshippd.org.