Fall River's Newest K9 Team Carries on a City, Family Tradition

Fall River Police Department's newest K9 team may have just graduated, but they are already carrying on a long-lasting family and city tradition that's spanned decades.

Fall River Officer Marc Correia and his K9 partner, Satu, graduated from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office K9 academy on Friday morning, and started a journey the Correia family is all-too-familiar with, thanks to Marc's dad and former officer, Ray Correia, and his years of work with and dedication to the Fall River K9 team.

"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 on Friday. "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."

And Marc is not the only one graduating from the K9 program with glowing reviews. BCSO Sgt. William Dillingham had nothing but good things to say about Satu, the 20-month-old shepherd that will be working alongside Officer Correia to track and apprehend suspects, find missing persons, and conduct evidentiary searches.

"Satu is an all-around dog. He’s good at everything," 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."

Courtesy of Bristol County Sheriff's Office

Officer Correia couldn't help but sing Satu's praises Friday as the pair prepared to begin their new journey together serving the Fall River community.

“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.”

This is far from the first time BCSO has assisted SouthCoast police departments in training new dogs for their teams. The sheriff's office frequently trains with units from New Bedford, Fall River and Somerset, and will soon be adding Fairhaven to the list when the department's first K9 team, featuring their brand new, still nameless puppy, begins training later this month.

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