Fall River Police Department has new K9 team after graduating from Bristol County Sheriff’s Office K9 academy

DARTMOUTH – The Fall River community has a new K9 team to keep them safe, and this team should be very familiar to those around the city.

Fall River Police Department Officer Marc Correia and his partner, K9 Satu, graduated from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office K9 academy on Friday morning, and among those to celebrate was his father Raymond “Ray” Correia, a former longtime K9 Officer for the FPRD.

“A Correia has partnered with a working dog to keep the people of Fall River safe for decades,” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said following the ceremony at the Sheriff’s Office on Faunce Corner Road. “Like his father, Marc will be an amazing addition to the FRPD K9 unit and a boost to the overall public safety of the city. We couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Satu is a 20-month-old shepherd who weighs around 80-85 pounds. He is now certified and trained in tracking suspects and missing persons, as well as apprehending criminals and conducting evidentiary searches.

“He tracks very well,” Officer Correia said. “He’s also been indicating on articles of clothing and evidence very quickly. The 16-week academy went by quick, but he’s done a great job. We hope to be a big boost to the FRPD K9 unit and the people of Fall River.”

The training academy was led by BCSO Sgt. William Dillingham, who coordinated the training schedule and logistics, such as securing various locations and surfaces for training and setting up and logging hides and training hours.

“Satu is an all-around dog. He’s good at everything,” Sgt. Dillingham said. “He and Marc bonded from the get-go, and that bond is the most important aspect of having a working law enforcement dog.”

Training dogs for other agencies is nothing new for the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office. The BCSO frequently trains with K9 units from New Bedford, Fall River and Somerset, and will be leading the training academy for Fairhaven’s first K9 team at the end of September.

“Coming from a law enforcement family and as a longtime officer, I appreciate the work the Sheriff’s Office does helping other departments,” Ray Correia said during the graduation ceremony. “Law enforcement is a team and we’re all here to support one another.”