The Sacramento Police Department has received funding from the Rotary Club of East Sacramento for a new police dog.

On Wednesday, February 29, 2012, at 6:00 p.m., the Rotary Club of East Sacramento will present Chief Rick Braziel with a check funding the purchase of a new K9 in memory of Bob Jennings, a rotary club member who died last year. The presentation will take place at Evan's Kitchen located at 855 57^th Street in Sacramento.

The Rotary Club donated $10,000 for the purchase of Echo, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois. His handler is Officer John Azevedo, whose dog was recently retired. Officer Azevedo and Echo, pictured below, have completed the required three-month training program and hit the streets just last week.

Bob Jennings, an avid supporter of the Sacramento Police Department K9 unit, was president of the club at one point and a member for 30 years. His son is currently a police officer with the Sacramento Police Department.

The Club has been actively supporting the Sacramento Police Department K9 Unit for several years. In 2007, the Rotary Club fully funded a new regional K9 training facility and provided labor to build it. It is housed at McClellan and is utilized by K9 handlers throughout the Sacramento region. The facility was named in honor of another member of the Rotary Club, Les Schuler, who passed away shortly after the facility's completion in 2008. The facility will be rededicated to include Bob Jennings.

The Sacramento Police Department would like to thank the Rotary Club of East Sacramento for its continued support and generous donations. For more information about the presentation ceremony, contact Michael Soto, Community Service Director of the Rotary Club of East Sacramento at 916-212-4414.