By Pat Culverhouse

Minden police officer KenDale Booker will be leaving Sunday for northwest Arkansas for a week’s worth of special training sessions, and when he returns he’ll be accompanied by a new partner.

Booker is a six-year veteran of the MPD and has 14 total years in law enforcement. He is heading to Rogers, Arkansas to meet Reif, Minden’s newest K9 officer, for what will be the first week of rigorous workouts at the nationally-recognized training center.

“The people in Rogers told me to expect 12 to 16 hours of training daily for Reif and me,” Booker said. “It sounds like a lot of hard work, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

When Booker completes the course, he’ll receive his POST and national certifications. Reif will be a multi-purpose K9 with skills in tracking and trailing, plus sniffing out narcotics. And, this officer will bite.

Following the week in Rogers, Booker and Reif will take a week off before heading to Ponchatoula for advanced training.

Minden’s newest officer comes with a hefty $10,000 price tag, paid by the Minden Police Association. But according to Association President Lt. Shane Griffith, those funds can be traced directly to the citizens of Minden.

“The money for Reif is the result of the generosity of the people of Minden who attended our annual fundraiser and who contribute throughout the year,” Griffith said. “We cannot express our appreciation enough for their support. We promised the money we raised would be put back into the department, and this is one example.”