K-9 Unit
Commanding Officer
Lieutenant Sean Malone
The Willingboro Police Department K-9 Unit has honorably served the residents of Willingboro and the surrounding communities with distinction since 1966, making it the longest, continually run K-9 program in Burlington County. All of our K-9 teams, both past and present, have met or exceeded the training standards for K-9 Units in the State of New Jersey for patrol work and scent detection, which include: obedience, agility, article searches, building searches, area searches, tracking, criminal apprehension, handler protection and narcotics detection.
The primary function of our K-9's is to serve as a locating tool. Their innate olfactory abilities give officers a distinct advantage when trying to locate missing children, track criminal suspects, find suspects hidden in buildings or wooded areas, or locate narcotics that are hidden within a building or a vehicle.
Currently, the K-9 Unit has two K-9 teams.
K-9 Unit Supervisor: Sgt. C. Barker
For more information on our K-9 Unit, or if you would to support the K-9 Unit, please visit:
Ofc. Patrick DeGrazia / K-9 Niko
Ofc. DeGrazia has been serving the Willingboro Police Department since 2008 and has been assigned to the K-9 Unit since 2016. Ofc. DeGrazia is partnered with K-9 Niko, a black German Shepherd born in Slovakia, who is certified in both patrol work and narcotics detection. Ofc. DeGrazia and K-9 Niko are assigned to the Patrol Division and have numerous successful tracks, narcotics finds, and criminal apprehensions under their belt. In addition to their regular patrol duties, Ofc. DeGrazia and K-9 Niko provide mutual aid assistance throughout Burlington County, assist the Willingboro SWAT Team and Street Crimes Unit, as well as conduct public demonstrations in schools and during community events.
Ofc. Joseph Quartararo / K-9 Jax
Ofc. Quartararo has been serving the Willingboro Police Department since 2017 and is partnered with K-9 Jax, a black German Shepherd born in Slovakia, who is certified in both patrol work and narcotics detection. Ofc. Quartararo and K-9 Jax are assigned to the Patrol Division and have made a name for themselves as a highly capable team. In addition to their regular patrol duties, Ofc. Quartararo and K-9 Jax provide mutual aid assistance throughout Burlington County and will be soon assisting the Willingboro SWAT Team and Street Crimes Unit, as well as conducting public demonstrations in schools and during community events.