Stop, in the name of the paw!
Check out Fort Smith Police Department’s insanely cute new recruit.
When it comes to animals working in the police force, we usually think of dogs. Sometimes horses. However, at Fort Smith Police Department in Arkansas, United States of America, one of the latest furry recruits is quite unique.
He’s a cat.
Officers from the Fort Smith Police Department were dispatched to Jen’s Kitty Rehab, which is a local non-profit organisation that is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming cats. Once officers arrived at the scene, they interviewed (ahem - cuddled) several kitties.
Their goal was to find the purrfect furry companion to support staff at the police department. Police officers and other police staff, such as emergency call takers, have a very stressful and highly demanding job, often seeing or hearing very distressing and shocking things. This can, of course, have a negative impact on their mental health.
According to science and medical journals, animals, such as cats and dogs, have the ability to reduce stress and frustration in human beings (hop onto Google and check them out, they’re very interesting and there are too many good ones to list them all here).
This gorgeous ball of fluff was chosen to join the police force partially because of his deep, ocean-blue eyes, which are a good match to the police department’s crest.
After being stuck on deciding on a name for their new recruit, the police department eventually settled on the rather awesome name of ‘Pawfficer Fuzz’. Other popular options were Captain, Sergeant, Blueblood, Pistol, and Bravo.
Aside from providing much-needed comfort to officers and staff, the police department hopes that the addition of Pawfficer Fuzz will make the police service much more approachable and welcoming to locals. Pawfficer Fuzz will also attend special events, educational events and community events. His duties will also involve serving as an online presence for the police force’s social media outlets, again making the service more approachable.
The residents of Fort Smith can sleep a little easier at night, knowing that Pawfficer Fuzz is on patrol, to purrtect and serve.
Follow Fort Smith Police Department on Facebook for updates on Pawfficer Fuzz: https://www.facebook.com/FSPolice/
