Grandview Heights swears in officer Mason Motts and unveils new K-9 Hank

The City of Grandview Heights administered an oath of office to Officer Mason Motts and introduced the city's newly created canine unit, which pairs Officer Joe Ford with Hank, a nearly 2-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd cross.

During the June 23 special meeting, the council chamber conducted the swearing-in ceremony in which Officer Mason Motts recited the oath to support the U.S. Constitution, the Ohio Constitution and the charter and ordinances of the City of Grandview Heights. The mayor noted a prior swearing-in at City Hall had already occurred for administrative purposes.

City officials introduced Hank and said the canine unit completed a 10-week certification at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Basic K-9 Academy. Officials described Hank as trained in narcotics detection, area searches, tracking, building searches, officer protection and dangerous-suspect apprehension. The presentation to the council noted that, in Hank's first month in service, the team had been deployed 17 times leading to 21 narcotics seizures and assistance in 10 arrests. Reported narcotics included fentanyl, crack cocaine and methamphetamine as well as assorted paraphernalia.

The city presented a registration and license for Hank during the meeting.

Speakers identified in the transcript included Officer Mason Motts (the officer sworn in), Officer Joe Ford (canine handler), and Sergeant Nick Hart (K-9 unit supervisor). The transcript does not attribute every line of the presentation to a single identified speaker; the unit's operational numbers were reported during the introduction.

The council and audience offered congratulations to the officer and to the K-9 unit. City officials said Hank will continue monthly training to maintain certification and operational readiness.