MARTINS FERRY — The Martins Ferry Police Department’s newest K-9 officer, Patch, is a legacy and gift from the family of a former chief and long-time officer.

The purchase of the 2-year-old half German Shepherd, half Malinois dog was made possible with a donation from Susan and Patty Patsche. They are the wife and daughter of William “Patch” Patsche, who was a police officer for the Purple City from 1967-96, and who served the last three-and-a-half of those years as chief of police. He died several years ago.

Susan Patsche said her husband’s time on the force meant a lot to him and that she wanted to do something for the department in his memory.

“I called the chief (John McFarland) and asked him: ‘Is there anything you can use that I could donate in Bill’s name?'”

She asked about another K-9 officer and learned the price would be about $10,000.

“I thought about it, and then I called back,” she said. “This is something really important that I want to do for Bill, and they always called my husband ‘Patch.’ I said: ‘When you name the dog, would it be possible to call him Patch?’ That’s what they did.

“… He was such a big part of that department, and I wanted to do that for him, so that they would remember him.”

This week, the dog’s handler, Patrolman Cory Barrett, and other officers took Patch to visit his sponsors and the family of his namesake. Susan and Patty were both impressed by the dog and the demonstration.

“We were able to buy another dog through the gracious donation,” Sgt. Jerry Murphy said, adding he that knew William Patsche, who would have been proud of the K-9. “He would have praised it and utilized it to its fullest.”

“He would have been very happy,” Susan Patsche agreed.

Patch was trained at Tri-State Canine Services in Warren, Ohio, through November and has been on the road since December. Barrett said Patch has already been valuable in detecting and removing drugs from the streets.

“He’s a dual-purpose dog,” Barrett said.

The dog primarily detects drugs but can be used to apprehend suspects as well.

Barrett said Patch has a friendly personality, although he has a tendency to bark.

“He’s a great dog. … You could pet him. … He’s not aggressive toward anybody,” Barrett said. “There’s some dogs, only the handler can be around them.”

He added he could take Patch to visit the local schools at some point.

This is Barrett’s first time working with a police dog. He added that being a K-9 handler was a long-time ambition of his.

“My dad had a German shepherd growing up. I just always liked dogs, and as I figured out I wanted to be a cop, it’s just something I wanted to do at some point in my career. I’m just thankful that when I came here to Martins Ferry I was able to get this opportunity,” he said. “It definitely is different.”