The community's new favorite member of the Pima County Sheriff's Department is just 7 months old, and everyone with an Instagram can follow along with his journey.
Deputy Leo is a English yellow Labrador who came to the department from a breeder in Willcox, Arizona. He's preparing to become the department's crisis response canine.
Leo is part of the department's mental health support unit where Detective Shawn Degan works.
“He is probably the calmest 7-month-old anybody has ever seen, he is just so laid back," Degan said.
One of the reasons Leo was picked for the program, Degan said, was his "very engaging" demeanor that's not how you'd "normally expect a puppy to be."
"He definitely doesn't jump on people, he’s not running around, he just kind of saunters around the office and he’s very kind of slow and methodical," Degan said. "But he's not afraid to go say 'Hi.'"
Once certified, Leo will act as comfort for people in their time of need, a possible calm after the shocking storm of a situation similar to the one in Las Vegas.
"If we had a Las Vegas-style shooting here in Tucson or somewhere close by we would be able to deploy with Leo in a bunch of different areas," Degan said.
Degan said Leo might visit victims at the hospital, be there for family members of the deceased or even provide comfort for first responders, 911 dispatchers and operators suffering after having to deal with that kind of a situation.
The idea for a crisis response canine came from the Scottsdale Police Department, Degan said. Scottsdale PD's crisis response canine, Fozzie, proudly served the Scottsdale community for 10 years. He passed away in October.
"He’s [Leo] not really a therapy dog in the sense that he’s always going to do that," Degan said, "there’s more to the spectrum of what his job is and we liked the idea of a crisis response."
One of those jobs, for example, would be stopping a situation from escalating if the department is dealing with someone who has a court order and needs to be transported for evaluation.
"We can use Leo to help calm them down and get through that process, get them to the facility so they can get their treatment without it escalating into something else,” Degan said.
Degan takes Leo about three to four times a week around to different departments within the Pima County Sheriff's Department, everything from the jail with staff and inmates to communications, property and evidence. Leo even visits forensics.
"He just kind of hangs out and is super calm with everybody,” Degan said.
But apparently, they weren't getting enough of Leo. They wanted to see more of him.
"There’s a huge demand everywhere we go for people to know more and see him," Degan said.
So, they decided to create an Instagram where everyone could follow Leo's journey.
From talking to potential new recruits.
A post shared by Deputy Leo (@deputy_leo_) on
And graduation.
A post shared by Deputy Leo (@deputy_leo_) on
In just three days, Degan said Leo had over 100 followers.
“Everybody we talk to said it’s fantastic," he said. "They're just thrilled that they can see him and watch what’s going on with him.”
Best of luck in your training, Deputy Leo. We'll definitely be following!
