This is the second week of "Ask A Cop," a weekly feature with the Fredericksburg Police Department.

Got a question you want to ask the police department? Send it to dan.telvock@patch.com and don't worry, you won't be identified when the questions are sent off to get answered.

Here are this week's questions:

Question: Do police take home the canine dogs? How many canines does the PD have?

Answer: We currently have three police dogs, two that are cross-trained for patrol work/tracking and narcotics detection (Max and Falco, both German Shepherds) and one that is strictly trained for drug detection (Selena, a Belgian Malinois). Our K9 teams are Officer Dave Reilly with Max and Officer Jeff Wood with Falco and Selena. Yes, the police dogs live with the assigned handler/officer, who goes through intensive training with the dog before the team is released to work on the street.  The Police Department is responsible for all of the costs associated with maintaining the dog, including kennel, equipment, food, veterinary care, etc.  The handler also has a take-home vehicle that is outfitted specifically to carry the dog. When the dog is retired from work, the ownership of the dog can be transferred from the Police Department to the handler, who assumes all responsibility for the dog.  Although this is not mandatory, all of our retired dogs have lived out their remaining years with their handlers.

Question: When an officer pulls me over, is he required to tell me right away why he pulled me over?

Answer: It is left to the officer’s discretion how he/she communicates during a traffic stop. There is no legal requirement to immediately tell the driver the reason for the stop.