DENTON (UNT), Texas – The University of North Texas has recently welcomed new paws on duty to the UNT Police Department. Watson, the new explosives detection K-9, and Clover, the new community support dog, are working hard to keep UNT a welcoming and safe place.

“The UNT Police Department understands that not everyone has the best experience with police officers, so we want to do all we can to help boost positive relations within our community,” said UNT Police Chief Ramona Washington. “Watson is excited to work to keep our community safe, while Clover can brighten people’s days.”

In May 2024, Keegan, UNT’s previous explosives detection dog, retired. This led Officer Andrew Cioffi to step up to the K-9 handler position and head off to Auburn, Alabama, for a six-week-long training.

Here, Cioffi was paired with Watson, a two-year-old Vapor Wake, or “air-scenting-,” trained explosives detection yellow Labrador Retriever. Cioffi and Watson were welcomed back to campus in late July 2024, where they’ve been training and bonding ever since.

“Vapor Waking is a process developed by the Auburn University Canine Performance Sciences program where a dog is trained on smelling the odor of a moving object,” Cioffi said. “Say a person is walking through the football stadium with an explosive or weapon in their backpack, Watson can pick up on that scent in the wind and follow it as it’s moving.”

During their days on campus, Cioffi and Watson patrol their sector while also finding at least 16 hours a month to continue Watson’s training. This training usually consists of Cioffi and Watson walking through UNT’s fields, buildings and parking lots to sniff for firearms and explosives. When possible, Cioffi loves to make time to connect with students and speak to kids on field trips visiting campus.

“I’m happy to be in a position where I can potentially spark students’ interest in law enforcement because I found my passion for policing through my interactions with a K-9 handler,” Cioffi said. “Hopefully, Watson and I can be that same inspiration for others.”

In September 2024, UNT’s first community support dog was introduced to the police department. Clover, a seven-week-old black Labrador Retriever, will be an ambassador of UNT Police to help the community feel more at ease around officers at public events and on campus.

UNT Police’s Corporal David Causey will be Clover’s handler on the community engagement team at the department. Causey currently leads many of the department's community activities and events, such as a new fully-booked self-defense course offered through the UNT Pohl Recreation Center.

“I’m thrilled to be able to give back to the community because I went to UNT and I love to help prepare our students for success by teaching them how to stay safe,” Causey said.

Clover also will be available, at times, to help victims of crimes or survivors who have undergone a traumatic experience and who need a comfort animal to help them process their experience as they speak with police officers.

“I’m excited for her to break down the barrier of fear people may have of police and for us to have a new way to interact with our community and the people who need that interaction,” Causey said. “We care about and want to support our students through difficult times.”

This is the first time the department will have a K-9 that isn't a traditional dog, working to detect drugs and explosive materials. Clover will join the department as a puppy to receive obedience training from an early age and to help her acclimate to the UNT community.

The UNT community chose Clover’s name through a survey link shared on the UNT Police Department’s social media pages during the week of Sept. 3. An announcement of the new K-9's name was made at UNT's first home football game of the season on Sept. 7, at DATCU Stadium by Washington and Causey.

Alex Parker, a senior Mayborn School of Journalism student at UNT and a journalism Intern with UNT Police, works closely with Cpl. Causey on the Community Engagement team.

“The dogs will be a hit with the campus and Denton community,” Parker said. “Knowing how Clover will ideally function in situations where there are people who need an emotional support dog in the department is a strategy for helping people in those circumstances.”

Students will have the opportunity to interact with Clover later this fall at the UNT Police Department and across campus once she has completed her core vaccinations.

The UNT Police Department is located in the Sullivant Public Safety Center at 1700 Wilshire Street, Denton, Texas, and you can call them at their non-emergency number 940-565-3000 or email them at unt.police@unt.edu.