A Riverhead Police K-9 unit in training at the Suffolk County Police Canine Section in 2018. File photo: Denise Civiletti

A Riverhead Police K-9 unit located a missing child with special needs yesterday, police said in a press release.

Police were notified by Little Flower Children’s Services yesterday morning that a 14-year-old boy with special needs was missing from the campus.

A reverse 911 robocall was issued for the Wading River area for residents to be on the lookout for the subject, police said. Patrol, COPE, detective and K-9 units, assisted by a Suffolk County Police helicopter, were deployed to search for the child.

After an extensive search, a Riverhead Police Department K-9 unit located the child in good health and without further incident, police said in the press release.


For an inside look at how K-9 units are trained and prepared for active duty:

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