One of the more recent additions to the force at the Goffstown Police Department might be the only one who rides around in a cage most of the day. But Kjel has some perks other officers don’t: he gets to bite the bad guys. Kjel – pronounced “kell – joined the Goffstown Police Department in February.

“He’s an import from Europe,” said officer Christopher Weeks, a trainer. “They come with the name.”

The Dutch shepherd was an anonymous gift to the department from one of its police officers as a replacement for Rex, who retired from police work in May.

Police canines are versatile crime-fighting agents. They can be an asset in taking down an uncooperative suspect, finding a stash of illegal drugs, searching for evidence or hunting down a missing person.

Most of the time, Kjel goes on patrol with his partner, officer Matthew Barber, a five-year veteran of the department. “When I come in for my shift, he comes in with me,” Barber said. “He makes for good companionship on a 12-hour shift, especially on midnights.”

Kjel rides with Barber in a specially outfitted cruiser that has a modified dog cage in the back instead of seats for passengers or arrested suspects. The cage has a cooling system and temperature monitor. If the system fails, a window will automatically roll down and a fan turns on.

Barber and Kjel have been training together since April. The pair passed the PD-1 level of certification at a trial in Maine at the end of June. That means Kjel has proven capable of searches and apprehension of a suspect.

In fact, Kjel won several awards, including first place in the novice category for suspect search, article search, and general searching.

At the next level of certification, PD-2, Kjel will prove his abilities at locating narcotic drugs and tracking people. Barber said Kjel can be more intimidating during confrontations with criminals.

“Honestly, I think he’s the best an officer can have as far as when it comes to backup,” Barber said. “It makes a bigger statement than when you have another officer with you.”

The two are inseparable. As a matter of policy, Kjel spends all of his time with Barber. When Barber goes home for the evening, he takes Kjel with him. The Police Department owns Kjel, but Barber is the only officer authorized to work with him.

The strong bond between the two is critical to their success as a law enforcement team. If the department needs Kjel in an emergency and Barber is not on duty, it must call them both in. Weeks said that the Police Department, which has had K-9 units longer than any other agency in New Hampshire, is hoping to enhance and expand the program. “It’s kind of going through a revamping,” Weeks said.

In addition to Kjel, he said the department might obtain a second dog. That would allow the department to have a K-9 on hand seven days a week.

Barber said he became interested in the K-9 program after working with the former dog handler at the department, who was recently promoted. He hopes he and Kjel can soon attend another trial and pass the next level of certification, which involves detecting narcotic drugs and tracking. “It’s very rewarding, seeing the training that you put into him,” Barber said.

In 1962, Goffstown became the first department in New Hampshire to establish a K-9 program. Weeks, who has been running the in-house training, said the department hopes to expand the program by acquiring a second dog.