GLASGOW, Ky. — A new four-legged officer has joined the ranks in Glasgow.

Mayor Henry Royse swore in K-9 Rico during the Glasgow City Council meeting Monday. Officer Alex Mutter, who has been with the department for about three years, joined Rico for the ceremony.

Mutter is a certified K-9 handler, while Rico serves as a patrol and drug detection dog. The pair recently completed four weeks of training.

“You are a handsome boy, Rico,” Royse said. “And Alex, you’re handsome, too.”

Chief Guy Howie said Rico is a strong and capable dog, noting he learned that firsthand after he “voluntarily, stupidly” took a bite from him while wearing a bite sleeve.

“He is quite sturdy,” Howie said.

Howie also said Rico has already put his training to work on the job.

“His second night out after graduation he already made a drug arrest alert on a car,” Howie said. “We’re looking forward to great things from Alex and Rico.”

Rico is the department’s third K-9. Officer John DuBarry handles Nico, while Officer Jared Saltsman handles Chaos, whom the chief said lives up to his name.

The dogs were purchased using seized drug money rather than taxpayer dollars.

Ongoing maintenance and care for the K-9s is funded through departmental allocations supported by tax revenue.

“The cost is not a burden on the taxpayers, it’s a burden on the drug dealers,” Howie said.

There have been 129 deployments with 73 indications, 59 seizures and 37 arrests in the last year, according to Howie. He said drug arrests have increased and attributed that rise to the K-9 unit.

The dogs are also used in area schools to conduct locker searches as part of efforts to detect and deter drugs on campus.

Training times varied for the dogs. Nico and Chaos underwent 16 weeks of training, while Rico underwent four weeks.

Howie added that the department recently switched to a new trainer from Hopkinsville, moving away from the Nashville facility it previously used.

The K-9s are commanded using a combination of German and Dutch commands.