Palmetto Police Department retires its canine program after 17 years

PALMETTO -- Not since McGruff the Crime Dog has a canine law enforcement officer captured the hearts of so many like Palmetto's canine officer Xent, who was retired from the force Nov. 2 after the phasing out of the department's canine program.

Xent, a six-year-old Belgian malinois, was adopted by his partner of three years, Officer Adam Spatafora. The department's second canine officer, 4-year-old Ruger, will continue his law enforcement career with the Hendry County Sheriff's Office.

According to Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler, the decision to end the department's canine program, which has existed since 1998, was made when the primary trainer resigned for a new position with the St. Petersburg Police Department. In the past year, Tyler has lost about seven officers and two other positions to higher paying departments.

"The program has been useful and productive and this wasn't an easy decision to make," said Tyler. "Losing our only certified canine instructor among others brought about a decision that maybe it was time to go in a different direction."

Tyler said by phasing out the program he will be able to open two new full time positions for a crime prevention officer and a narcotics detective that he hopes to have filled by early 2016.

In his four years on the force, Xent was deployed 444 times and contributed to 68 arrests. Spatafora said it will be the first arrest as partners he will most remember.

"We responded to a domestic battery case where this guy had choked his girlfriend in front of her kids, threw her across the house and then ran," said Spatafora. "Xent tracked right to the guy hiding in the bushes and we made the arrest."

The department has featured Xent in many Facebook posts and the response has always been overwhelming with hundreds of likes and comments. His impact on the community hasn't gone unnoticed.

"The dogs all have different personalities, but Xent in particular is a personable, friendly, intelligent dog and I don't want to lose that completely," said Tyler. "The community hasn't seen the last of Xent. Xent will continue to do some public relations things and demonstrations for the public."

That likely suits Xent just fine. He spent his first day of retirement in the chief's office getting his picture taken for the newspaper and loving every minute of it.

Spatafora wasn't on duty yet so Xent may not have realized he was retired, but Spatafora said he's already changed Xent's home environment where as a work dog, Xent could not freely socialize with his pet German shepherd, Shultz.

"It's up to the city what happens to the dogs because they are a city asset," said Spatafora. "I was very appreciative and grateful that the city approached me about taking Xent. He's going to have to adjust because work is a game to him and he knows when I put on my uniform, it's time to play. It's an adjustment for me, too. I was typing up some paperwork today and looked at my watch and realized Xent had been in the patrol car for awhile. I went to check on him and realized, 'Oh, he's not there anymore.'"

But Xent is loving the changes at home.

"He and Shultz have become fast buddies and now they can play whenever they want," said Spatafora. "He can socialize freely with other dogs and people and can just relax, have fun and be a dog."

Tyler said other than Ruger, all of the department's retired canines have gone home with their handlers. Ruger, who still has six years of projected service, is still a valuable law enforcement asset and the Hendry County Sheriff's Office wasted no time in expressing interest.

"We would have preferred Ruger retire with his handler, but that was unable to happen," said Tyler. "Our greatest priority is to make sure these dogs have a great life. Xent, in particular, is the most popular cop on the force."

Spatafora added, "And the best looking, too."

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter@urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Palmetto Police Department retires its canine program after 17 years ."