There are roughly 300 officers in the Bethlehem area police departments. Ask most residents to name one, and there is a good chance they will say Bean. K9 Bean is a German Shorthaired Pointer who was imported from the Netherlands and introduced to the Bethlehem Police Department in 2021 by Mayor Bob Donchez and Police Chief Michelle Kott. Her handler is Officer Burton, and together they have become one of the most visible and beloved partnerships in the city.
More Than a Pretty Face
Bean specializes in explosive detection, tracking lost individuals, and community engagement. She replaced K9 Hickson, who retired due to health issues after years of faithful service. But while Bean is a fully trained and certified working dog with serious responsibilities, her impact on the community has gone far beyond her operational duties.
Officer Burton and Bean are regulars at local schools, including visits to Moravian Academy and public schools throughout the Bethlehem Area School District. For kids, meeting a police K9 is often their first positive interaction with law enforcement, and Bean has a gift for making those interactions memorable. She is patient, gentle with children, and impossibly photogenic, which does not hurt when Officer Burton is trying to build bridges between the department and the community.
The K9 Tradition in the Valley
Bean is part of a broader K9 tradition across Lehigh Valley police departments. Bethlehem Township maintained K9 Hugo, a Belgian Malinois who served after a tour of duty with the U.S. Military in Afghanistan, handled by Officer Bryan Tollinger. Hugo passed away in 2018 after years of dual purpose patrol and explosive detection work. Lower Saucon Township has K9 Titus, who performs demonstrations at community events including National Night Out alongside Officer Steve Kunigus.
The Lehigh Valley is also home to Big Barker, a local orthopedic dog bed company that donated beds to ten K9s and their handlers from Allentown, Bethlehem Township, Colonial Regional, Salisbury, and Lower Saucon police departments at the Allentown Police Academy. The company was later recognized by Congress for its support of law enforcement K9s.
Why K9 Officers Matter
Police K9 units serve practical functions that human officers simply cannot replicate. Their sense of smell can detect explosives, narcotics, and missing persons in ways that technology still cannot match. But their value to community policing is equally important. K9 officers like Bean break down barriers. They give people a reason to approach an officer and start a conversation. They turn a uniform into a neighbor.
In Bethlehem, Bean has become something of a local celebrity. She has her own following on social media, and residents regularly stop Officer Burton on the street to say hello to his partner. For a police department working to strengthen its relationship with the community it serves, that kind of organic goodwill is invaluable.
Bean may have been born in the Netherlands, but she is a Bethlehem dog through and through. And in a city that takes pride in its community connections, having a four legged officer who can make a child smile and detect a threat with equal skill is exactly the kind of hometown hero the Valley celebrates.
