North Olmsted Police Department adds new K9 to help fight crime in city

Published on December 3, 2018

Patrolman Ryan Dimatteo recently returned from extensive training in Columbus with his new European partner. While most rookies have to adjust to the job, the Belgian Malinois, named Match (pronounced Mahch), started hitting the ground running last month on all four legs.

“I’m very impressed with his obedience and how well he catches on,” said 2018 Officer of the Year Dimatteo, who, after stints with the Secret Service Uniform Division and Cleveland Police Department, has been with North Olmsted Police Department for three years.

“The Belgian Malinois breed is high energy, but Match also knows when to turn it off. He was certified in narcotics, criminal apprehension, evidence search, area search, tracking. I’d say his favorite thing to do are tracking bad guys and doing areas searches. He does well in both areas,” Dimatteo said. Read More