Last week, Berlin elementary school students were treated to a visit from the newest member of the police department, K9 officer Penny, and her handler, Officer Michael Patterson. “This is a great experience for me, and we are both learning on the fly. I’m excited about the process,” Patterson said.

“I get to bring her home, so we spend all our time together, which is cool,” he added.

The new Berlin PD team mingled with youngsters at Hubbard, Willard and Griswold school on Feb. 9.

“This is such a surprise,” Willard teacher Jennifer Sullo said. “The kids were so happy to meet Penny and had a great time.”

Penny comes to Berlin from the Pawtucket Animal Shelter in Rhode Island.

The police department invited the public to come up with a name for the six-month-old bloodhound, and allowed local elementary school students to have the final say.

The name Penny was chosen over Kenzie and Phoenix.

“She’s Berlin’s lucky penny,” Sgt. John Flynn said.

“Her job is to find lost people, so it’s like finding a lucky penny.”

Soon, Penny will go through seven weeks of training at an academy.

Once fully trained, she will help the Berlin Police Department sniff out criminals, and evidence.

nzappone@record-journal.com203-317-2212