About Concord Police K9 Unit

About Concord Police K9


The mission of The Friends of the Concord Police Department K9 Program provides financial assistance for the Concord Police K9 Unit to support high quality and professional police services for the Concord community.


Liberty

Yellow Labrador Retriever
Born: May 29, 2018

In July 2018, members of the Concord Police Department approached Laura Barker, founder of Hero Pups, Inc., and pitched the idea of bringing a Comfort Dog to the department.  The mission of Hero Pups, Inc. is to train and place service rescue dogs with military veterans and other first responders.  The Comfort Dog program for a law enforcement agency was contemplated and approved by the Hero Pups, Inc. Board of Directors.

In August 2018, Laura became aware of a Labrador rescue in Pennsylvania that was experiencing weather related problems at the facility and there was a need to move some of the dogs.  Laura traveled to Pennsylvania and rescued four yellow lab puppies.

Laura and her staff profiled the pups over the next several weeks and ultimately selected Liberty to enter Comfort Dog training for the Concord Police Department.  Liberty’s sisters Grace, Spirit and Independence would ultimately enter service training to be partnered with a veteran in need.  

Liberty was raised and trained at Hero Pups, Inc. Headquarters by Laura Barker, her family and various volunteer trainers.  Her training was rigorous and extensive.  Liberty’s training was not necessarily physical in nature however it did require a great deal of concentration, exposure to endless sights, sounds, distractions and situations.  She trained in a variety of settings and met thousands of people of all different ages along the way.

On October 9, 2018, Liberty was introduced to the Concord City Council at their regular meeting.  Laura Barker attended the meeting and assisted in introducing the concept of Comfort Dogs in a law enforcement agency.  There is exhaustive research that specially trained dogs can have a calming effect with individuals who have experienced crisis or trauma in their lives.  Police officers are quite often involved with victims and others who have experienced crisis or trauma and the addition of a specially trained Comfort Dog may very well be an asset for all.

On October 26, 2018, Liberty was introduced to the community at the annual Halloween Howl event where she became a local celebrity.  Liberty is a highly socialized and well-mannered dog and her attendance at events such as this allows the Police Department and its police officers to enhance community policing initiatives.

On March 29, 2019, Liberty was “sworn in” as a member of the Concord Police Department and was issued badge #119.  Liberty continued her training at Hero Pups, Inc. Headquarters for the next several weeks and was officially transferred to the Concord Police Department on May 10, 2019. 

Liberty has earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen and Novice Trick Dog certifications.  Liberty continues with her training to fine tune her skills and will travel to Florida in 2019 to attend a one week advanced training program.  

“We are very fortunate to have Liberty as part of our organization and are grateful for the professional training that she received by Laura Barker and her Hero Pups, Inc. volunteer staff.  Liberty has already made a positive impact in the community and will continue to do so for many years. She has a calming effect on people and always seems to know when to turn up the charm.  When not working, Liberty is a typical dog who loves to play with her toys and take long naps.” 

~ Bradley C. Osgood, Chief of Police




Concord NH Police K9 Unit
High quality and professional police services for the Concord community