KINGSTON — When Erica Vieira and her partner, Officer Figaro, celebrated their retirement from the University of Rhode Island Police Department earlier this year, they also became celebrities.
As the sergeant and Figaro, the first canine officer and explosives-detection dog on campus, began new chapters in their lives, their photo and a short summary of their work at URI were featured in the August spread for the 2024 edition of the Vested Interest in K9, Inc.’s calendar.
“Vested Interest in K9 is a nonprofit organization, benefiting officers and their K-9 partners, from law enforcement agencies across the country,” Vieira said. “It’s a great organization.”
Retired URI Police Sgt. Erica Vieira displays the August page of the Vested Interest calendar on which she and Officer Figaro are featured. URI photo by Dave Lavallee.
All proceeds from the 2024 edition of VIK9’s calendar sales will be used to provide equipment and services for law enforcement K-9s nationwide. The cost is $20. For additional information or mail orders contact 508-824-6978.
Vieira and Figaro were selected for the calendar as a result of Figaro’s ballistic vest donation from the nonprofit and through Vieira’s involvement with the North American Police Work Dog Association, where she met Vested Interest’s founder and president, Sandy Marcal.
Having been employed by the URI Police Department since 1989, Vieira was not quite ready to forgo training the K-9 officers she had become so accustomed to working with as the department’s K-9 coordinator. In her retirement, she will continue to assist with the training. She also holds the new position of trainer with the police work dog Association.
“I have deeply enjoyed being a member of the URI Police Department, and I will miss working with my fellow officers on a daily basis,” she said. “It has also been very fulfilling to see Figaro become a beloved member of the University community. I can’t walk across campus without students wanting to pet him or say hello. Working with Figaro has helped me connect with students on a personal level.”
After graduating from the Connecticut State Police K-9 Academy in 2015, Vieira and Officer Figaro were certified in explosives detection after completing the National Odor Recognition Test, which is administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Since then, they have completed other training programs.
The celebratory retirement cake for Erica Vieira and Figaro on their last day with the URI Police Department
More recently, Figaro and Vieira have been making the rounds at several airports, where Vieira sets out training guidelines and provides learning aids to assist dog teams employed by the Transportation Security Administration.
Officer Figaro was re-certified as an explosives-detection officer in February, says Vieira. Since then, she has been preparing URI Officer Paul Wells and K-9 Officer Riot to pass the national odor exam, a requirement set by ATF for all bomb-detection dogs.
“There are 19,000 things you can make a bomb out of,” says Vieira. “And guns, too. It is for this reason that it is so important that K-9 Officers and their partners go through rigorous training, and must have their certification reinstated through testing every few years.”
Vieira explains how Figaro works on a food-based reward system, both on the job and during training, which is an everyday responsibility of the duo. “Everyday, explosive training aids are hidden, and Figaro needs to find them in order to eat,” she says.
“We have a very strong bond,” says Vieira. “Figaro loves to work.”
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing bullet and stab protection vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. All vests are provided free of charge. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has donated over 5,550 bullet and stab protective vests to law enforcement K9s in all 50 states at a value of over $6.9 million dollars. The calendar also includes a memorial page for K9’s who have died.
This story was written by Samantha Melia, a senior journalism and political science major at the University of Rhode Island and an intern in the Department of Marketing and Communications.
