PHOENIX — Phoenix police officer Mark O'Connell has worn many hats in his 31 years of service. He’s been a motorcycle officer and investigator.
"It's been a long career, a lot of fun,” O’Connell said. “I've had the opportunity to be on patrol, I was assigned to be a School Resource Officer.”
But for the last seven years, one of his favorite roles is being a K9 handler for his partner, "Salsa."
He says the best part of his day is having Salsa as his partner.
The 9-year-old German Short-Haired Pointer weighs a whopping 46 pounds. O’Connell said, “She's the princess on the department.”
“They call us, ‘Chips and Salsa’, that's our nickname when we walk in,” Officer O’Connell laughed.
Just like her breed, Salsa was born in Germany and later trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. O’Connell picked her up when she was two years old.
"I walked up to the kennel, and she was rolled up back there shaking,” O’Connell remembered. “She looked at me kind of like, ‘Who are you?’"
For six years, the duo has trained every day specializing in explosives detection. They search arenas, light rails, cars, and even Super Bowls.
During that time, Salsa has slept under O’Connell’s roof.
"When I get home with her, the collar that she has on now goes off,” O’Connell explained. “And of course, she has a pink collar at home."
But come next month, Salsa will retire early due to hip dysplasia. O’Connell made the decision to retire with her by the end of the year.
"We'll retire and sit by the pool and go to the lake and just hang out,” O’Connell smiled. “She'll get to be a dog."
O’Connell will pay the department just one dollar to officially own Salsa. For O’Connell, that’s priceless.