CSUN students got a closer look at the university’s canine unit during a “Meet Your Canine Officers” event on Thursday, Oct. 1, where officers demonstrated how the dogs help keep the campus safe while also connecting with students.
The event featured demonstrations from the department’s canine handlers, giving students a chance to see how the dogs use their sense of smell to locate explosive and firearm-related odors. Students had the opportunity to ask questions, take photos with the dogs and enter raffles for gift cards.
Sgt. Nicholas Canady, who is in charge of the CSUN canine unit, said the dogs help create a connection between students and police.
“I think the dogs and the students, no matter what we’re going through politically or as a whole in general as a society, the dogs are such a great barrier that we can have that bridges the community with the police officers,” Canady said.
Canady described Tank, who has been with the department for about 7 years, as a fun and loving dog who enjoys interacting with students.
“Tank has been here for about 7 years. He turns 8 in December. He’s fun-loving [and] he loves pets,” Canady said.
Mireya Esquivel, a Criminology major who attended the event, said seeing the dogs made officers feel more approachable to students.
“It makes them more approachable. It makes a student more comfortable to talk with them, to learn about the police department and to just build that community within CSUN with the police department and the students,” Esquivel said.
Cpl. Jerome Basal demonstrated how Bertie, a German short-haired pointer, specializes in searching for explosive odors. As a demonstration of her skills, Basal placed a training aid inside a cone and had Bertie search the area. Bertie eventually located the odor and indicated to Basal that she had found it.
Bertie is more than a working dog for Basal. The 2 spend their workdays together, and Bertie also goes home with him. Basal described her as energetic and sweet.
“She’s a firecracker. She’s very sweet, [and] she’s a little shy,” Basal said. “She’s turning 2 in November, so she’s still got that puppy energy.”
Bertie is trained and certified to detect guns and explosives. Basal said training is a constant part of their routine to keep Bertie prepared for her work on campus.
Having a trained canine on campus is especially important when the department responds to potential threats, Basal explained.
“We have had schools that have bomb threats and all that stuff, so it’s good to have our own [canines],” Basal said. “That way, we don’t need to rely on outside agencies.”
Sunny, the unit’s newest member, serves a different purpose as CSUN’s therapy dog. Officer Kingsley Cifuentes, Sunny’s handler, said the 1-year-old Labrador retriever has been with the department for about 3 months.
Cifuentes said Sunny can provide comfort to students who may be away from home and missing their own pets.
“I think it provides comfort to students, especially students that are away from home for the first time,” Cifuentes said. “Playing with Sunny and interacting with him kind of brings a sort of comfort from home that they’re not able to get on a daily basis.”
Events such as Meet the Dogs give students an opportunity to interact with officers in a setting that is less focused on enforcement and more focused on conversation and community.
For the canine handlers, events like “Meet Your Canine Officers” give students a chance to see the dogs work while learning more about the people behind the police department.
“We’re not just here to patrol or to enforce laws,” Cifuentes said. “We’re part of the community, and we want to share a little bit about ourselves and our canine unit with everybody.”
The event gave students a chance to see another side of CSUN Police while learning about the canine program. For the department, the dogs provide more than support during police work; they also create opportunities for officers and students to interact and build connections across campus. You can meet these friendly canines around CSUN or at their next event.
