Amherst Police Department Gets New Patrol Pup, Named “Marvin”

The Amherst Police Department is adding a little more bark to its law enforcement bite, with its second officer-and-dog team.

Officer Matthew Frydryk has a new K9 partner named Marvin, Police Chief Scott P. Livingstone announced today.

Marvin, a 16-month old male German Shepherd, will be a four-legged MacGruff-of-all trades, helping the department find lost hikers, track burglary suspects and detect hidden narcotics. Marvin has already demonstrated that he takes his new job very seriously.

“When he’s working, he’s all business,” said Captain Ronald A. Young. However, when not on patrol, Marvin has a “friendly, outgoing personality,” Young said.

Frydryk, an Amherst Police officer since 2008, went to Pennsylvania last month to meet with a canine service dog importer. Marvin initially came from Hungary, and  Young said Frydryk and Marvin were matched through a process that pairs police officers and dogs that have  complementary temperaments.

Frydryk and Marvin are busy attending training for narcotics detection and patrol operations, after which they will assume regular paw-trol duties, Young said. The team will work on criminal apprehension, tracking and locating missing persons, building searches, evidence and narcotics detection, and promoting favorable public relations. Marvin will go home with Frydryk in the evenings for some rest and relaxation.

Young said the name “Marvin” was chosen by students at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School. The department has one other police dog, Dash.

The addition of a second canine/officer team was made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation, at  http://thestantonfoundation.org/canine.

The foundation helped launch the department’s canine program in 2015, and has supported numerous such programs across the state. The grant funds cover purchase of the dog, training costs, kennel facilities at an officer’s home, retrofitting a police cruiser for canine use, and food and veterinary care for the first three years.

For further information, contact Captain Young at youngr@amherstma.gov or (413) 259-3129.