Patti, a 17-month-old yellow labrador, is the University of Delaware Police Department's newest member and first facility dog. In her official UDPD duties, Patti offers mental health and wellness support to the department’s officers and staff. She also provides opportunities to build trust and community through engagement with Blue Hens and the general public, and she is available to UDPD for critical incident response and offering support to victims and witnesses.

UDPD’s top dog

Article by Christopher A. Vito Photos by Evan Krape July 23, 2025

This summer, UD Police Department added a facility dog — 17-month-old Patti — to build community trust and enhance support services for officers, victims and witnesses alike

Last month, uniformed members of the University of Delaware Police Department filed into the UDPD’s annual awards ceremony — an event that recognizes exceptional service to the UD community.

Most of the honorees sat comfortably in chairs. One chose a cozy spot on the floor, where she wagged her tail and waited patiently to be sworn in by UDPD Chief Patrick Ogden.

The department’s newest member, Patti is a 17-month-old yellow labrador who responds to 90 verbal commands. Her training began when she was only weeks old, and she has accumulated more than 10,000 socialization hours.

Patti is UD Police’s first facility dog.

So … what is a facility dog? Patti has three primary roles, said UDPD corporal Jamel Howard. He co-leads the UD Police unit to which Patti has been assigned, the Community Resource Unit (CRU), which bridges policing with community interaction and education.

Patti, the UD Police Department’s facility dog, awaits being sworn in during the UDPD annual awards ceremony in June.

In her official UDPD duties, Patti offers mental health and wellness support to the department’s officers and staff. She also provides opportunities to build trust and community through engagement with Blue Hens and the general public, and she is available to UDPD for critical incident response and offering support to victims and witnesses.

“A dog like Patti is incredibly disarming,” Howard said. “People tend to be more comfortable recounting the traumatic events they experienced or witnessed if a dog like Patti is present to calm them down. We observe this regularly. In addition, members of the UD community or our Newark neighbors might not approach a UD Police officer, but they wouldn’t think twice about walking up to a dog like Patti. She’s a connector to those we serve, a conversation-starter, and a community-builder.”

Patti joined the UD Police Department from an unlikely place: a prison.

She is the product of a New York-based program called Puppies Behind Bars, which trains and facilitates the placement of service dogs for veterans and first responders, as well as facility dogs for police departments. (Patti falls into the latter category.) Puppies Behind Bars has been around for more than 30 years and has trained more than 4,000 dogs. Incarcerated individuals lead a puppy’s training and receive empowerment from professional trainers who oversee the process and provide guidance and instruction.

Corporal Jamel Howard (kneeling) presents a UD Police badge to Patti, the department’s facility dog, during UDPD’s annual awards ceremony. At left, Chief Patrick Ogden oversees the ceremony.

“The mission [of Puppies Behind Bars] is truly remarkable, and it’s almost a full-circle moment for someone like me, whose career began in corrections, to have been assigned a dog that was trained by incarcerated individuals,” Howard said. “Seeing their interactions with Patti, how much compassion they have for these animals that are almost like their children — that was one of the single-most impactful moments of my life.”

Following an application process and multiple interviews, Howard drove to New York for a required two-week residency to learn whether Patti would accept (or reject) him as her handler. They did a lot together in that time, from walks and hikes, to dining in restaurants. The pair was inseparable.

According to program officials, Puppies Behind Bars has several-dozen dogs currently on assignment and serving vital roles for first responders, retired military and police departments, including in its home state of New York. Of those dogs, nearly a third are working with university police or public safety departments. These include several Ivy League schools, plus a handful of New England-based institutions — and the University of Delaware.

Patti is the first (and only) facility dog assigned by Puppies Behind Bars to a police department in the Philadelphia tri-state area.

“Introducing a facility dog to our department is a truly innovative measure that supports our work in the University community and, more broadly, in Newark,” said Ogden, UD Police Chief and Associate Vice President. “After all, interaction with the communities we serve remains a vital component of our department’s intervention tactics and — in this way — we view Patti as a critical asset to UD Police. She is approachable and can help us build relationships. She strengthens the support services we provide for officers and staffers, as well as victims and witnesses. Patti has been and will continue to be a tremendous resource for us.”

“A dog like Patti is incredibly disarming,” Corporal Jamel Howard said. “People tend to be more comfortable recounting the traumatic events they experienced or witnessed if a dog like Patti is present to calm them down.”

On any given day, Patti settles into CRU’s office at UD Police headquarters. An oversize bed ideal for daytime naps, plus a handful of chew toys and a seemingly endless supply of treats are available to her. As she walks the hallways, Patti draws smiles from UDPD staff. On the building’s lower level, she pops her head into the shift commanders’ office, where she knows toys and tennis balls are stashed for impromptu playtime.

When the academic year begins, Howard said, Patti will be a regular fixture on campus. She won’t be too hard to find, either, with a popular Instagram account that captures her daily activity.

“Patti will be out and about, wearing her vest and her badge, ready to meet and serve the UD and Newark communities,” he said.