What will the name of Somerset County's newest K-9 officer be? You decide

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office is having a contest to name the agency's newest K-9 officer, a male yellow Labrador retriever whose job will be to sniff out illegal drugs with his partner.

The contest winner will take home some cool Somerset County Sheriff swag and be invited to participate in the naming ceremony in Somerville with the other members of the K-9 Unit.

“Our K-9 officers and their handlers make a difference every day in the lives of Somerset County residents, with our K-9s taking millions of dollars of illegal drugs off the streets,” said Somerset County Sheriff Darrin Russo.

“Adding a new member to this Somerset County Sheriff’s family is always exciting, but we need the community’s help in giving our new K-9 Officer his name.”

Somerset County’s K-9 Unit was established in 2002 and has more than doubled under Russo to nine K-9 officers and six skilled handlers. The demands of the position are unique within the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, requiring handlers to be passionate and willing to dedicate their lives to law enforcement while assuming the many 24-7 responsibilities of a K-9 handler.

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“We’re so excited to bring our newest K-9 officer to the battle against opioids that have damaged so many lives,” Russo said. “And we want the community he will be serving to provide his new name to welcome him to the Somerset County family.”

All submissions can be made via email to Michelle Royer at Royer@co.somerset.nj.us or through the Sheriff’s Office’s “Submit A Tip” option on the home page of our new mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

The public can submit names until Oct. 24 at 4 p.m.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Name the new Somerset County K-9 officer in contest