Forget Kojack, the Santa Monica Police Department has Rambo.
Earlier this month the SMPD welcomed its newest member to the canine unit, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois from the Czech Republic who goes by the name Rambo.
Rambo is currently attending an extensive training program with his partner, Officer Roberto Villegas, and will begin patrolling the streets in December. His day-to-day duties will primarily focus around patrol, but he will be cross-trained in explosive detection, police said.
Villegas is a veteran dog handler for the SMPD.
The Santa Monica Police Department began the K-9 program in 1976 and in 2009 employed a half-dozen dogs, some costing as much as $9,200.