The Barrington Police Department will hold a special swearing-in ceremony for Levi, the new community engagement dog.

The event will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Kids Cove Playground behind Barrington Town Hall. Immediately following the swearing-in, there will be a meet-and-greet where people can say hi to Levi.

Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said the department had been considering getting a comfort/community engagement dog for some time. Last summer, during a candlelight vigil held for the Sowams School community after it tragically lost two teachers, Chief Correia witnessed comfort dogs in action. He said the experience helped him fully understand the impact comfort dogs can have.

“It kind of solidified it in my mind,” he said, adding that Levi is not trained for typical K-9 police work, such as tracking or detecting firearms. 

Barrington Police reached out to Boonefield Labradors, a breeder of therapy/comfort dogs based in Rindge, NH. Boonefield has already placed dogs with the Bristol Police Department and Tiverton PD, said Chief Correia.

Chief Correia said the breeder donated the retriever to the department, and asked that the dog be named Levi, after its grandfather. 

“I’ve been involved in policing for over 37 years, and I don’t consider myself a dog person… but I am personally very excited about this. I think it’s going to be a runaway hit in this town,” Chief Correia said. 

When it came time to select a police officer to partner with Levi, Chief Correia held an internal interview process. He selected Officer Michael Gregorzek, a 16-year veteran of the department. 

“Officer Gregorzek has a real strength for community engagement,” Chief Correia said. “We’re hoping it’s going to be a real positive community engagement tool with the police department and the town.”