HOOVER – Three new Hoover crimefighters were introduced at the City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 20.

New officer Corey Smith and K9’s Ace and Fancy have joined the Hoover Police Department, Chief Nick Derzis said.

“It’s always an exciting time to introduce you to a new officer,” Derzis said before reading the oath of office to Smith, who has four years of experience with the Montgomery Police Department and the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office.

Ace and Fancy then joined their handlers—Kevin Hollis and Matt Bond, respectively—in front of the Council and Mayor Frank Brocato.

Hollis has been a School Resource Officer at Spain Park High School for about seven years with his former K9 companion, Ava.

“Ava retired this past summer, and we have replaced Ava with Ace,” Derzis said about the 1-year-old black Labrador retriever.

Ace, a drug dog like Ava, actually has the same father as his predecessor.

Fancy, meanwhile, is a 2-year-old black Lab that was trained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

HPD was one of only eight agencies in the United States that received a bomb dog trained by ATF, which prior to Fancy’s class only trained dogs for its own use.

HPD’s former drug dog, Hans, retired last year after about 10 years in service.

Bond attended the academy in Virginia with Fancy, and the pair graduates on Aug. 10.

“What’s amazing on the ATF bomb dog is the food reward,” Derzis said. “Officer Bond has to train this dog every day, and the only reward she gets fed out of the hand is when they find what they’re looking for.”

Ace and Fancy received Hoover Police Department badges inscribed with their names and become the department’s ninth and 10th K9 officers.

“They do phenomenal, phenomenal work,” Derzis said.