Utah State University’s Police Department recently acquired a new dog serving as a Critical Incident and Crisis Response K-9.
Sage is a 10-week-old labrador retriever who has already started in her new position with USU police. Police Chief Jason Brei and Sage’s handler, Sergeant Shane Nebeker, picked her up from Arizona on Oct. 29.
The police department at the University of Arizona, Brei’s previous employer, had a Critical Incident and Crisis Response K-9. When Brei came to USU, he was determined to bring a dog like Sage to the department.
Nebeker was the one who chose the name Sage, as a way to represent the university. The name comes from the song The Scotsman, specifically the line “where the sagebrush grows.”
Sage will act as an emotional support animal specifically to help victims or witnesses of crimes to calm down and more easily convey information to the police.
“There are specific times that people are in need of stress relief, and be able to connect with a human being or an animal,” Brei said.
Nebeker and Brei also hope that Sage will help act as a connection between the police and the community, helping people feel more comfortable coming to the police for help.
“This is a great opportunity to make a connection — to, like the chief said, to help people understand that we are human, we have a role to play," Nebeker said. "But we want to have that connection that people feel like they can come to us.”
Unlike other types of dogs used by police, Sage is meant to be petted and greeted by those she meets. Nebeker said her job is to be friends with everyone and act as a sort of mass emotional support animal.
The funding for Sage came from a group of former Police Officers at Vector Solutions, a partner of the department.
Nebeker came to USU after working with Utah Highway Patrol for 25 years. He became interested in the position of being the new dog’s handler because of his own experiences where dogs have helped him and his want to be able to connect with the community.
“I'm a dog guy. I've seen what dogs can do,” Nebeker said.
