K-9 Gronk will fight crime in Massachusetts

Reporting from ATHOL, Mass. — Gronk soon will be tracking down criminals, sniffing for drugs and acting as the furry face of a Massachusetts police department.

No, not New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

This Gronk is the Athol Police Department’s new K-9 officer. The year-old German shepherd is undergoing a 14-week training program.

News about Gronk’s namesake was first reported by the Athol Daily News.

Chief Russell Kleber said Gronk will be the department’s first K-9 officer in seven or eight years. He said he wanted to name the dog after a Boston sports figure and recalled that the real Gronk has a connection with the town.

After attending a nearby charity event in February, the Patriots player stopped by an Athol Subway shop and ordered a footlong chicken, cheese and guacamole sandwich that the restaurant’s owner dubbed the “Big Subkowski.”