FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Monday, the Fort Wayne Police Department introduced “Tinsley” to the public.
At a news conference at Chief Stephen Reed’s office, the force’s new addition took center stage. “Tinsley” is named after Officer Davis Tinsley who died in the line of duty in 2018.
As a member of the department’s Peer Support Team, Tinsley will aid in the mental well-being of officers as well as make appearances at local events.
The 9-month-old blue heeler recently graduated from Paws and Stripes College in Brevard Co, Florida.
The FWPD posted the following to social media:
Oh Fort Wayne so much goodness right here in one post. **Long post alert** Today we unveiled our newest member of our police family, Tinsley . He is a 9mo old Blue Healer and graduated from Paws and Stripes College in Brevard Co, Florida. Brevard County inmates are the trainers of these dogs who are all rescues from a no kill shelter #adoptdontshop. Inmates learn a valuable skill and get unconditional love from the dogs in the process. This is so vital for emotional healing. We worked hard to find a program that utilized #community in a positive way and came across this amazing program. Each of these dogs is hand selected, after a test, for each department applying. Tinsley went through a 12 week class to learn to be a good boy . His handler Officer Woods will be doing a lot of work with the new pup. He is excited to get to work. And by the way, Tinsley’s cost to the department from Brevard Co, was $0. Their costs for the program are covered by commissary $’s. Tinsley is a trained Therapy Dog and will be utilized as a member of FWPD Peer Support Team and he will be making his rounds throughout the community at events. We can’t wait for you to meet him. He is full of love and is waiting for some yummy ear scratches. He is a little mischievous too. We just found out he really likes Honeycrisp apples that his human brings for lunch in her lunch bag. #Sneaky Tinsley is named after Officer David Tinsley who died in the line of duty on Sept 11, 2018. ❤️ Welcome Pup Tinsley, to the FWPD!! ♀️ ♀️
