Alpharetta police employee therapy dog to calm down nervous victims, witnesses

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Becoming the victim of a crime or witnessing one can be a frightening experience.

That’s why the Alpharetta Public Safety Department is employing a new unit meant to ease anxiety.

Scout is a 1-year-old beagle mix whose job isn’t to sniff out crime, but to serve as a calming companion.

“Everywhere he goes, his tail is wagging, his ears are perked. It’s just a joy to have him roaming around the department,” Lt. Andrew Splawn told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims.

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Splawn says Scout and a detective took a course together and are now ready to help crime victims and witnesses during police interviews.

Lieutenant Splawn says having a sweet dog around calms people down and improves their memory.

“When having a therapy dog present, that increases in recall for the victim and the witnesses to be able to provide more factual information to us,” Splawn explained.

He says Scout has already had one successful interview involving a child.

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“We could see the calming demeanor in the child as Scout was bonding with the child who was being interviewed,” Splawn said.

Scout also serves as a morale booster for officers and firefighters at the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety.

Chief John Robison says Scout’s main mission is to serve the public, but it’s nice having him around.

“He has also been a tremendous asset to us already, as far as being around. And if we do have some personnel to go through some difficult calls and traumatic events, he’s gonna be a huge help for that.”

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