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06/30/2021 08:30 AMOn June 10, Clinton’s K-9 Team of Corporal Jason Frey and K-9 Sonny were recognized for the 2020 Connecticut Police Work Dog Association’s Narcotics Detention Award. The prestigious award was in recognition for a major drug bust last year.
In late 2020, Frey and Sonny were called to assist in what appeared to be a simple motor vehicle stop for an unregistered car. However, the stop turned out to be anything but routine. When the driver got out of the car and left the door open, drug paraphernalia such as needles was visible, which led to a search of the car.
While on the scene, Sonny located nearly 500 bags of fentanyl and heroin that had been packaged for individual sale. Frey estimated the value of the drugs at between $14,000 to $16,000. Frey said that by keeping they substances off the street, the team could have saved dozens of lives. Frey said that the discovery of such a large amount of drugs led to felony charges.
After Frey made the arrest, his superiors nominated him and Sonny for an award from Connecticut Police Work Dog Association. In early June, Frey found out he and Sonny won the association’s Narcotics Detention Award, which Frey said recognizes instances that had “most significant impact on the public.”
Frey said he was surprised when he won because he did not know he was nominated.
“I got a text from a friend saying congrats and I didn’t know what they were talking about. I was blown away—I didn’t expect it at all. I’m humbled and honored,” Frey said.
Sonny is accredited by four different agencies that accredit police dogs and goes for recertifications from the various agencies each year. He is trained in different tasks from tracking to apprehension, but his specialty is detection.
“There’s no shortage for him to do,” said Frey.
Frey explained that Sonny is trained in the detection of drug odors and can detect several different kinds of popular drugs.
“He’s a machine when it comes to this,” Frey said, adding that Sonny routinely aids in finding narcotics that otherwise would remain on the streets.
Clinton Police Chief Vincent DeMaio convinced the Board of Selectmen in 2017 to reestablish Clinton’s K-9 program that had been decommissioned in 2016. The department raised more than $15,000 through fundraisers and donations to train and purchase Sonny. Frey and Sonny trained together for about six months before they officially hit the streets in summer 2017.
Frey pointed out that the one bust for which he was recognized was potentially worth more than what it cost to purchase Sonny and that isn’t counting the smaller busts that Sonny makes on what Frey said is a regular basis. In his office, Frey maintains thick binders that detail each case in which Sonny has been a part.
“If you think of it from a banker’s point of view, everything he does is a profit,” Frey said.
Frey—or perhaps more specifically Sonny—has become a popular on Instagram under the account Clinton_Police_k9 where he as amassed more than 80,000 followers.
“I’m fortunate I get to share some of what I do with the public and I’m fortunate we come from an agency that understands the use of the dog and how they can help,” Frey said.