SIMI VALLEY : City to Send Officer, Dog to Competition
The Simi Valley City Council has agreed to spend $1,000 to send a local police officer and his canine partner to Colorado this summer to compete in the 1993 World Police and Fire Games.
Officer Sterling Johnson, with his then-canine partner Atlas, won gold medals for overall excellence in the police service dog competition during the 1989 and 1991 events.
In a unanimous vote Monday night, the council approved Police Chief Lindsey P. Miller’s request to finance Johnson’s bid to defend his title this summer, accompanied by his new canine partner, Charly.
In a written report, Miller said the Simi Valley canine team’s participation in the games provides a public-relations benefit to the city. The event also will give the team the opportunity to train with leading police canine experts, he said. The competition will take place in Colorado Springs between July 31 and Aug. 7.
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