USPCA Lifeline Russ Hess USPCA Lifetime Achievement Award

Transcription

Canine
Courier
the united states police
canine association, inc.
march 2016
vol. 28, no.3
USPCA Lifeline
Russ Hess
USPCA Lifetime
Achievement Award
National Explosives
Task Force
Purina Tips
2016 National Dector Trials • Philadelphia • June 4-8
CONTENTS
IBE
SUBSCR !
TODAY
Editor
Robert (Doc) Dougherty, Flourtown, PA
2015-2016 National Officers
President: Jason Brodt, St. Paul, MN
Secretary: Melinda Ruopp, Marshaltown, IA
Treasurer: James Matarese, Falmouth, VA
Trustees
Brady Harrison, Woodbury, MN
John Freeman, Bryans Road, MD
Harry Barraclough, Cantonment, FL
Alternate - Ron Bowling, Lakeland, FL
Vice Presidents
Northeast – Carlos Rolon, Alexandria, VA
Southeast – Brandon Gilmore, Waynesville, NC
Southwest – Noel Salamoni, Greenwell
Springs, LA
Central – Ryan Machin, Springfiled, IL
West – Tom Healy, Colorado Springs, CO
Northwest – Joshua Stenseth, Star Prairie, WI
USPCA Executive Director
Dr. David “Lou” Ferland
Assistant Professor Mount
Washington College
3 Sundial Avenue
Manchester, NY 03103
Published Quarterly
by the U.S.P.C.A., Inc.
Business & Editorial Offices
Robert Dougherty Jr.
410 Norfolk Rd.
Flourtown, PA 19031
Phone: 610.316.3942
Fax: 215.948.3594
Email: uspcacourier@gmail.com
This publication assumes no tresponsibility for
statements made by contributors.
Website: www.uspcak9.com
Canine
Courier
Columns
5
5
6
6
7
7
10
54
Letters to/from the Editor
Director’s Report
National Secretary
Treasurer’s Report
President’s Message
Calendar of Events
Region Reports
End of Watch
Features
8
9
23
29
32
USPCA Lifeline - Russ Hess
USPCA Lifetime Achievement Award
National Explosives Task Force
Purina Tips
National Dector Trials
Trainer’s Corner
40 Demystifying Trailing
48 Choosing The Right Dog
On the cover:
K9 Hawk of the New Jersey State Police
Patrol & Explosives K9. Partner is Sgt.
Roger J. Market NJSP. Region 15.
Do you have a cover
photo?? Please submit high resolution
(300 dpi) photos for cover consideration to
Canine Courier: uspcacourier@gmail.com
THE UNITED STATES POLICE CANINE ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED
2 | Canine CourierMarch 2016
To The Membership
Well, it was only a matter of time before I made some errors as the editor
of the Courier. I do apologize to those members of Regions 12 and 19 who
did not get the mention they so deserved in December. I understand how
important it is to handlers to be acknowledged for the good and dangerous
work they and their partners accomplish with little recognition elsewhere I
also wish to publicly apologize to R.O. Rogers who provided a narrative to
Russ Hess which got lost in the void which is my computer at times. With
that said, I do not plan on making more mistakes however, the chances are
quite good that I may.
The Canine Courier is doing well. New advertisers have come on board or have shown interest in doing so, we welcome
Criminalistics Inc., back to the family as a supporter, and there has been an uptake in companies providing criminal
justice articles and books for publication or review. By the time this issue is delivered the National Training Seminar in
Anniston, AL will have concluded. I wish to reach out to our vast experience of police dog trainers and handlers to share
your methodologies, experience, and solutions to problems you may have encountered so as to help our members be
better handlers, administrators, and trainers in the form of training articles.
Finally, the two major 2016 National Trial certification events will be held in the Northeast. In June the National Detector
Trials will he held in Philadelphia, PA (Region 6) and the National PD1 Trials in Gloucester Township, NJ (Region 15) in
September so consider competing in these trials or consider volunteering to help these Regions make these events very
successful.
Please be safe and take care of your partner, they are only on this earth for a short time. As I write this editor letter, 5
police dogs have been killed in the line of duty
Bob Dougherty - Editor
Director’s Report
Hello Gang,
I want to first thank you for the warm
welcome and the help you have given me as I enter my first months as
Executive Director of the oldest and
largest police canine association in
America. I have been with the USPCA since 1987, first as a handler,
then as national trainer, national
judge, and now as Director.
We have a busy year planned. We
have already completed an EOD
training seminar in Philadelphia
(Region #6) and have another one
planned for Boston (Region #4) in
April. These seminars are with some
of the best trainers in the world and
using new, fresh, uncontaminated
training aids. President Brodt has
also reinstituted the annual National Training Seminar. This one was
Executive Director Dr. David “Lou” Ferland
in February (8-11) hosted by AMK9
in Anniston, Alabama (Region #22).
We are looking for a host for 2017
so if you are interested please let me
know.
The National Field Trials are set for
2016. The first will be the Detector
Dog Nationals in Philadelphia (Region #6) June 5-8 and hosted by
The University of Penn P.D. and the
PENN Vet Working Dog Center. Next
will be the National PDI Field Dog Trials in Gloucester Township, NJ, (Region #15) September 25-30. There
is much more information about National Training Seminars and Trials
online at www.USPCAK9.com.
If you would like YOUR Regional
Training Seminars OR Trials posted
online, please let me know. We will
include your Regional event on the
National Web Page.
We are also in the process of redoing
our web page. Some of the new features you will see in the near future
are an improved members’ only section with secure blogging; a secure
database where you can update
your preferred contact information;
the opportunity to receive your issue of the Courier online instead of
traditional snail mail; and a streamlined look that is mobile friendly. This
should help us better communicate
with each other.
March 2016
www.uspcak9.com | 5
Director’s Report cont…
Speaking of communicating, we
have reached over 10,000 likes on
our Facebook page. At a time when
the media often projects the police
in a negative light, directly communicating with people through instruments such as Facebook, becomes
more critical towards our branding
and messaging.
I am here for you. I am here to help
you and your regions accomplish
our collective mission towards:
•Coordinating the exchange of
ideas in training police canines;
•Promoting the betterment of police canines in protecting the public;
•Assist agencies seeking to establish canine sections;
•Promote friendship and community among ALL interested in training and using police canines;
•Improve the image of police canines.
Please keep in touch. Follow us on
Facebook, go to the web site often
for updates, and please look for our
periodic e-mailed newsletter that
will help to inform you of upcoming events. This will be coming out
as soon as the new website moves
along with its production.
Let me know what you and your region might be doing and when and
where you hold your trials.
Stay Safe,
LOU
Dr. David “Lou” Ferland, Chief of Police (Ret.)
Assistant Professor Mount Washington College
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL SECRETARY
Melinda Ruopp
Hello everyone!
I hope that spring has finally started to show up! For those of us up
north, it can’t come soon enough.
By now, hopefully everyone has
paid their 2016 dues—because
this will be your last Courier if you
have not and you’ll miss out on the
benefits of this Association.
This is an exciting year! This year,
we have training lined up as we want
to start shifting our focus to include
training! It is not enough anymore to
“just certify” and we realize that at
the USPCA! We want to start seeing training as an equal to the certification. We are offering a National
Training Seminar, not to mention the
Advance Bomb Dog Training that
has been held several times. We encourage our regions to be creative
and offer training to their members
in new and exciting ways.
REPORT OF THE
NATIONAL
TREASURER
I worked the last several months
on updating the scoresheets. I
did not make technical changes,(except to accommodate rules
changes) but you will see that they
may look a bit different. I hope to
be able to keep them looking fresh
every year as needed. One that did
not change yet was the article/evidence sheet. We will be presenting
a new sheet at the National Detector Trial that we would like input on,
so you may see it change sometime this year if folks are ok with it.
We have hit the ground running in
this New Year. Our President Jason
Brodt has put together our first National Seminar since 2004. It was
held in Anniston, Alabama during
the second week of February. The
Executive Board is hoping this is the
start of many annual National Seminars. If you are interested in hosting
a future seminar, please contact one
of us.
Our advanced training for our
explosive detector teams is also
continuing. The class was held in
Philadelphia last October. There
is another class coming up in the
Boston, Massachusetts area later this spring. We are grateful to
Danny Page for taking the reins to
coordinate these classes.
Thank you to all the Regional Officers who keep this Association
going! Without you, we would fail…
we appreciate and respect all that
you do and look forward to trying to
help you keep your Regions strong.
This year we will have our National Detector Trial in Philadelphia, PA.
This is the first time that these detector trials will be in the Northeastern United States. Also, later in the
year, Gloucester Township, NJ will
host the National Field Trials. This
will give many of you who have never had the opportunity to join your
fellow handlers at a national event.
As always, if there is anything
that I can help you with, don’t hesitate to contact me. Keep training
and stay safe out there!
Finally, Region Treasurers, if you
have not done it yet, please send
me your end of year financial report.
Stay safe.
Mel
Jim
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Fellow Members,
As I write to you we are finalizing all of the details for our National
Training Seminar in Anniston, AL.
By the time you read this, it will have
been completed. Hopefully we will
have made it a good one.
When I was elected, the one thing
I promised to improve on was more
training on a National level. This is
the first step in that process. If your
area would like to host some sort
of training, please reach out to your
National VP or me and let us know.
The goal is to provide more points
of view and different ideas to make
your jobs safer.
You will also see a new web site
coming soon. We have moved to a
new vendor, which can support all
of our needs, including online voting, video sections and a new modern look. I think you will be pleased
when it debuts. The beta versions
have been quite impressive.
Make sure you take due care in
deploying your partner, we have already lost several K9’s in the line of
duty after just one month. It’s not
getting any better out there on the
streets. Please take the time to slow
things down and make good sound
decisions. Generally time is always
on our side.
Remember that the National detector trials will be in Philadelphia
in June and the National Pd1 trials
are in Gloucester, NJ in September. Please attend these wonderful
events if at all possible.
Stay Safe and Take your dog out
of the car!
Jason Brodt
National President
United States Police Canine Association
2016 USPCA Calendar of Events:
What:
Advanced Explosive Canine Team
and Judge Training
Where: Boston, Massachusetts - Region 4
When: April 10th – April 14th, 2016
Contact: Troy Caisey Email: K9Solo@comcast.net
or (781) 608-9069.
What: Region 6 PD1 Trials
Where: Chester Co, PA
When: August 26th , 27th, 28th
(August 26th competitors/judges meeting)
Contact: Larry Love (267) 334-6285
or llove@uspca6.com
What: 2016 USPCA National Detector Trials
Where: Philadelphia, PA
When: June 5 – 8
Contact: Larry Love (267) 334-6285 or llove@uspca6.com
Bob Dougherty ( 610) 316-3942
or rtdocjr914@gmail.com
What: USPCA National PD1 Trials
Where: Gloucester Township, NJ
When: September 25th – 30th
Contact: Chris Gerace (609) 685-2771
or cgerace@gtpolice.com
Region 6 Detector Trials
Chester County, PA
March 14th – 16th
March 14 – Narcotics. March 15 – Explosives.
March 16 – Cadaver & other if applicable
Contact: Larry Love (267) 334-6285
or llove@uspca6.com
What:
Where:
When:
Please keep the membership informed of events and boost
your turnout by emailing uspcacourier@gmail.com subject
line EVENT. Deadline for June 2016 Courier is May 1.
The Courier is always looking for good photos for consideration for publication and for the cover. The Courier is also
interested in training articles or other information written by
our members which benefit the Association.
March 2016
www.uspcak9.com | 7
THE USPCA LIFE LINE
RUSS HESS
A
s a long-time contemporary of Russ Hess, there is
no way that I can put into
words what this man has meant
to the United States Police Canine
Association. The USPCA would
not be in existence if not for his
loyalty, devotion, and dedication
to the organization. His upcoming
retirement merits a few words of
appreciation.
Russ first picked up the reins as
its national president in
1988, but soon after,
he had to step aside.
As a handler and experienced trainer for his
department, Russ’s talents were needed there,
and he was promoted
to a supervisory position, making it impossible for him to devote
the amount of time the
USPCA would require.
But he did actively continue with the USPCA,
making many contributions and promoting the
growth of Region 5.
A long-time advocate of proper
training, Russ helped form Ohio’s
original K-9 standards in 1989. At
K-9 certification trials for patrol and
detector dogs, Russ was not only
a judge and supporter but a mentor to all the younger handlers who
benefited from his years of experience and wisdom.
In the late 1990s, the association
needed an executive director to
run the day-to-day operations. The
work load had become too much
for active law enforcement to meet
the demands of the organization.
The search was on to find some-
one that had been active in the association, had K-9 experience, and
had the necessary administrative
skills, who would take the position.
The name that rose to the top was
Russ Hess. Everyone knew him;
he met all the requirements, and
had always been a loyal member
and supporter.
Our task was to approach him
and convince him that he was
needed. I know Russ struggled
with this request and
needed the support
of his wife before deciding. It meant leaving his position as a
Police Chief of Jackson Township, Ohio.
But he accepted the
calling to become the
first executive director
of the 3,000-member
association. For the
past seventeen years,
he has been its lifeline,
and the name Russ
Hess is synonymous
with the organization.
As the executive
director, Russ has always been
available to answer all request and
inquiries 24 hours a day. If anyone
needed something, he got it. He
established the USPCA Foundation which aided those needing
assistance, and he relentlessly pursued sponsors for all the awards
that are presented by the association, recognizing the value of
K-9 officers. Russ has conducted
seminars, and he was a constant
presence at certification trials. He
would always greet everyone with
a smile, offer reassurance to rookie
officers new to the certification pro-
I know Russ
struggled with
this request
and needed
the support of
his wife before
deciding.
cess, and would be the first one to
extend a helping hand to anyone
needing it.
When not traveling to certification trials, Russ and his wife, Joan,
traveled long distances to organizations, such as the International
Chiefs of Police, where Russ was
an active participant. He was on
the Editorial Advisory Board of the
Police K-9 magazine, and for years
he was the keeper of K-9 historical
memorabilia. He laboriously sorted through decades of material to
create two history books for the
USPCA Foundation, K-9 Just the
Facts and USPCA History Volume
I, to provide funds to the Foundation in order to offer even more
support to those in need. Russ
wrote articles for each issue of the
Canine Courier.
During his 35-plus year career,
Russ Hess has held every rank
from patrolman to chief. He has
been involved with police canines
since 1970, and he has been a national judge for the USPCA since
1975, training, evaluating, and
judging more than 6,000 police
service dogs.
I personally call Russ a friend
and someone who always gave an
honest answer to me. He is a man
with a heart of gold who willingly
provided advice and assistance,
never asking for anything in return.
If all of us were like Russ, wouldn’t
this be a great world? He has unquestionable integrity; always doing what he believed was the best
for all police dog handlers and for
all the members of the association,
not just certain groups. He has
been an innovator and the solid
foundation of the organization.
Thank you, Russ, for what you
have done and meant to the United States Police Canine Association. You truly have been a lifeline,
and even in your retirement from
the association, I know you will
continue to support it and remain
a role model for all who value the
work of K-9 officers everywhere.
Your Old Friend
R.O. Rogers
Editorial apology – This was omitted from the December 2015 issue
USPCA Lifetime
Achievement Award
The USPCA would like to welcome back and thank Scott
Walker of Criminalistics Inc., for
being the sponsor of the Russ
Hess Award Lifetime Achievement Award. The USPCA Russ
Hess Lifetime Achievement
Award is awarded to “individual(s) who, during their lifetimes,
have made significant and selfless contributions to the field of
K-9.”
The award is designed to be
presented once a year at the
National Detector Dog Trials. It is
not designed or intended to be
given to business sponsors but
to an individual(s) and not necessarily a USPCA member. Any
USPCA member or Region can
submit nominees to the awards
committee for consideration. All
nominations must be received
60 days prior to the National
Detector Dog Trials. The award
recipient(s) will be selected by
the USPCA Awards Committee. This award is sponsored by
Criminalistics, Inc.
P
CHECK
YOUR
DATES
Renewal Membership Date: January 1, 2016.
Canine Courier article & photo submission deadlines:
February 1st • May 1st • August 1st • November 1st.
March 2016
www.uspcak9.com | 9
Region 1
K9 Inspector Travis M.
Asbell & K9 Legend
Florida Department of
Corrections
Tallahassee, FL
4th Quarter Detector Case
On December 14, 2015 at approximately 9:00 a.m. I, Inspector Travis Asbell and my certified
narcotics/cell phone/gun and
ammunition K-9 partner Legend
was conducting a K-9 Inspection
Sergeant Nick Bearden &
K-9 “Duko”
Walton County Sheriff’s
Office K-9 Interdiction
Unit, Florida
Patrol Case of the 4th
Quarter
On December 11, 2015, deputies of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a
residence in DeFuniak, Springs
they had received an anonymous
complaint that a white female
and white male were arguing.
The male possibly had a knife in
his The patrol units made contact
with the white female at the residence and she advised them she
at Hamilton Correctional Institution Annex. While in the secure
housing dorm of G-dorm wing II
my certified K-9 partner Legend
alerted to the mattress of cell G2116L. Upon conducting a hand
search of the mattress I, (Asbell)
recovered one (1) Samsung Verizon Wireless Cell Phone blue and
black in color, a cellophane plastic
containing several pieces of magazine papers with a green leafy
substance which field tested negative for THC and was determined
to be Synthetic Cannabinoids
had been involved in a physical
altercation with a male friend and
he pulled a silver knife and held
the knife against her the female
victim attempted to call 911, but
the male broke the phone in half
and fled on foot into the woods.
Sergeant Nick Bearden and K-9
“Duko” were requested to respond
to the scene to assist with locating the suspect. K-9 “Duko” was
deployed and picked up a track
heading east through the woods.
Shortly after beginning the track,
they came through a young marijuana grow with approximately
200 plants. Narcotic investigators were notified of the location
and responded to the scene to
take custody of the evidence. The
Region 2
Patrol Case
Officer Robert O., Mills &
K9 Torque
New Hanover County
Sheriff’s Office
Castle Hayne, NC
On 10/26/2015 at 2231 hours, I
was responding to the area of 417
East I-40 in reference to a subject
discharging a firearm either inside
a cab or outside along the roadway. As I was enroute to the call
dispatch was on the phone with
one of the occupants in the cab.
The driver of the cab stated that he
kicked his fare out of his cab, after getting into a verbal altercation
along East I-40 near mile marker
417. The suspect who was later
identified as Mr. Frank P. Teague
the III (w/m, DOB 11/03/1962)
threatened him with a firearm
when they were at the back of the
cab as Mr. Abdul was taking Mr.
Teague’s belongings out of the car.
While Mr. Abdul’s back was turned
to Mr. Teague he heard a shot go
FLORIDA
A.K.A. “K2 SPICE”. The Synthetic
Cannabinoids yielded a packaged
weight of 9.32 grams. Also in the
mattress was a blue rubber glove
track continued for approximately
1½ miles before the suspect was
observed walking down a wood
line in the back of an open field.
The suspect turned around and
saw Sergeant Bearden and K-9
“Duko” coming up from behind
and immediately started running.
Sergeant Bearden gave three announcements for the suspect to
stop or he would release his canine. K-9 “Duko” was deployed
and apprehended on the inner
thigh and right leg. The suspect
physically removed K-9 “Duko” for
his leg and held him away from
him before letting him go. K-9
“Duko” re-engaged the suspect
on the right forearm. The suspect
began to push K-9 “Duko’s” head
into the ground using his body
finger filled with a white powdery
substance. The white powdery
substance yielded a packaged
weight of 32 grams and field tested positive for cocaine. The inmate
assigned to bunk G2-116L is inmate Harrison, Roy DC# 575315.
Inmate Harrison was placed in
Administrative Confinement pending several disciplinary reports for
said contraband being recovered.
Therefore, please consider this
submission as a nomination for
the USPCA Region 1 DetectorCase
of the Quarter, 4th Quarter 2015.
weight. K-9 “ Duko” was able to
pull out from under the suspect
and apprehended him in his right
tricep. Sergeant Bearden noticed
the suspect was complying and
gave a verbal command for K-9
“Duko” to disengage which he
immediately did. The suspect was
escorted out to the roadway where
he was treated by Walton County
EMS. The suspect was charged
with Aggravated Assault, Depriving or hindering a person of 911
or Law Enforcement, and Resisting an officer without violence.
Therefore, please consider this
submission as a nomination for
the USPCA Region 1 Patrol Case
of the 4th Quarter 2015.
NORTH CAROLINA/SOUTH CAROLINA
off from behind him. As Mr. Abdul
turned around, Mr. Teague was
running off towards corporate
drive into a small patch of woods
along the roadway. The driver of
the cab, a Mr. Abdul, advised he
did not know if the suspect fired at
him or not because his back was
turned and cars were passing on
the roadway.
Dispatch advised that Mr. Abdul
was watching the suspect who was
now in front of a business which
is located along 3000 corporate
drive. As I arrived, Mr. Teague was
located by the first Deputy who arrived in the area of Interoll which is
the business that Mr. Teague ran
towards. Mr. Teague was already
being detained while we gathered
information about the incident. A
pat down was done for weapons,
but no firearm was located on Mr.
Teague. I was requested to do an
article search for the weapon by
Lt. D. Warnick. The area was a
large parking lot and an extremely large industrial building with
no specific start point other than
where Mr. Teague was detained.
The cab driver had lost sight of
Mr. Teague when he went around
the building and because it was
dark had no idea if Mr. Teague still
had the firearm. Mr. Teague was
approximately 150 yards from
I-40 where the incident had taken
place. I retrieved K9 Torque from
my vehicle and brought him up to
the area in the parking lot where
the Deputies detained Mr. Teague.
I then gave K9 Torque the command to search and released him
off leash. K9 Torque took off in
a sprint and began working west
across the parking lot and was
immediately on odor. K9 Torque
was approximately 30 to 40 yards
ahead of Lt. D. Warnick and me
working the scent cone left by
Mr. Teague. As K9 Torque got out
of the parking lot into a grassy
area he suddenly veered off to
the left towards Corporate Drive
which was about 30 yards away
and runs east to west behind the
business. As Lt. D. Warnick and
I walked into the grassy area we
could barely see K9 Torque due to
low light conditions and had to use
our flash lights intermittently to locate K9 Torque. By this time, K9
Torque was near a row of midsize
trees that were anywhere from 15
to 20 feet apart and ran along the
back side of the building towards
the loading dock. I shined my flash
light over by where K9 Torque was
last seen and observed him jump
up on his hind legs and check up
on a tree. K9 Torque then came
down and ran approximately 10
feet away from the tree then suddenly head snapped and went
back to the same tree. K9 Torque
checked up again for several seconds in the same area as before.
I advised Lt. D. Warnick I think K9
Torque has located something or
someone and Lt. D. Warnick saw
the same behavior and acknowledged. I then confirmed with the
Deputy that was standing by with
the cab driver if there was more
than one suspect. After several
seconds, he confirmed that Mr.
Teague was the only occupant
that fled from the cab after the
shot was fired. Lt. D. Warnick and
I made an approach to the tree
using our flash lights and weapons drawn to check the area that
K9 Torque had indicated on. As
we neared the tree, I cleared the
upper branches and did not locate anyone. Then, as I moved
left around the tree I observed
what appeared to be the end of
a barrel of a gun approximately 6
and half feet off the ground in a
u bend in the tree. After getting
close to the tree, I confirmed it
was in fact a revolver that
K9 Torque had located.
CSI arrived and collected the weapon and discovered a nickel bag of
marijuana that was under the revolver which
could not be seen at
first. The firearm was
a .38 caliber revolver and after clearing
the weapon a total
of 5 shells with one
spent shell casing
was collected for evidence. The
suspect was charged with Assault
by pointing a gun, carrying a concealed weapon, going armed to
the terror of the public and simple
misdemeanor possession. I then
gathered all my information for my
report and cleared from the scene.
A big “Thank You” to USPCA
Region 2 SC Vice-President Clark
Smith for all his work. Thanks for
all you do Clark- well done!!
Bridgestone presents a check to
The United States Police Canine
Association for $1000. USPCA
Region 2 SC Vice President Clark
Smith hosts a golf tournament
each year in March. The proceeds
from the tournament this year will
be used to purchase bullet proof/
stab resistant vests for Police Canines. The first recipient of one
of these vests will be The Aiken
County Sheriff’s Office K9 team
Deputy T Blackwelder and his K9
“Lannis”.
Pictured are: USPCA Region 2
President Calvin Jeffcoat, K9 Deputy C Carney, K9 Deputy P Sharpton, Sheriff Michael Hunt, Bridgestone Aiken ORR HR Director Mike
Uhle, K9 Deputy T Blackwelder and
K9 Lannis, and Bridgestone Aiken
ORR Plant Manager Adam Barfoot.
March 2016
www.uspcak9.com | 11
Region 3
City of Alexandria Department of Police
Alexandria, VA
Officer Carlos Rolon & K9
XigXag
4th Quarter Patrol Case
Officer Carlos Rolon and K-9
“XigXag” were responsible for the
their apprehension of a bank robbery suspect and the recovery of
two handguns and stolen money.
On December 1, 2015, at approximately 10:00 am, Officers were
dispatched to the PNC Bank, 825
North Washington Street in the City
of Alexandria VA, for a report of an
armed robbery in progress.
The first officer on scene advised
that the suspects were last seen
running east on First Street from
Washington Street. The suspect’s
descriptions were for two black
MARYLAND • DELAWARE • VIRGINIA
males in all black clothing, wearing masks and armed with handguns. As Officer Carlos Rolon and
K9 “XigXag” were en-route to the
robbery, dispatch advised they
were following the GPS signal on
the bank dye pack and that it was
currently at the intersection of US
Route 1 and East Custis Avenue.
Dispatch then updated the GPS
location to the intersection of
Bluemont Avenue and McKenzie
Boulevard.
Officer Rolon responded to this
location and quickly deployed his
K-9 “XigXag” to conduct an area
search for the suspects and an article search for the dye pack.
A short time later officer’s advised that the GPS signal was
now showing the intersection of
Bluemont Avenue and US Route 1
and that it was accurate to within
60ft of this location. Officer Rolon
and K-9 “XigXag” responded to
this location and began an article search near the sales building for Pulte homes. As Officer
Rolon reached the north side of
the building, K-9 “XigXag” began
to alert to the presence of human
odor. K-9 “XigXag” began to pull
around the northwest corner of
the building and attempted to go
into some bushes. Officer Rolon
did a quick scan of the area ahead
of K-9 “XigXag” and saw a black
backpack sitting against the side
of the building. Officer Rolon notified other officers on scene of the
location of the backpack.
Once officers took possession of
the backpack, Officer Rolon and
K-9 “XigXag” continued with their
article search in an effort to locate
other evidence.
As they approached the northeast corner of the building,
K-9 “XigXag’s” behavior again
changed and he began to alert
to the presence of human odor.
K-9 “XigXag” began to pull toward
the front of the building, suddenly
pulling into an area of thick brush.
Officer Rolon held K-9 “XigXag”
back and gave the area a quick
scan. Officer Rolon could see a
pair of boots sticking out from under a large bush directly in front of
K-9 “XigXag”. Officer Rolon gave
a K-9 warning to the suspect. The
suspect yelled that he was coming out and proceeded to sit up
and with his hands over his head.
Upon hearing the K-9 announcement, other officers responded to
Officer Rolon’s location and took
the suspect into custody.
Patrol officers subsequently located the second suspect hiding
inside of a vehicle. The backpack
contained two 9mm handguns
and $6,708 dollars that was taken
during the bank robbery.
Region 6
Patrol Case
Sergeant Jim McGinty & K9 Ace
Bensalem Township Police
Department, PA
On Saturday, 9/19/15 at approximately
2218hrs. Sergeant J. McGinty and K-9 Ace
responded to Bensalem High School for a report of a strong armed robbery. Bucks County
Radio advised that 4 b/m’s robbed two w/m
juveniles of their money. A description of the
actors was provided and a perimeter was immediately established by responding Officers.
While en route to the high school, Sergeant
McGinty believed he observed on of the actors on a street adjacent to the high school.
Sergeant McGinty placed K-9 Ace in his tracking harness and attached him to a fifteen foot
PENNSYLVANIA
leash. K-9 Ace immediately located human
odor and began tracking/trailing in the rear
yards next to Bensalem High School.
Patrol Case
K-9 Ace continued to track east through the
yards. K-9 Ace then jumped over a fence into
a rear yard where we located a white T-shirt
next to a shed. K-9 Ace continued to track east
through the yards, where at one point K-9 Ace
began to sniff the ground very intensely. K-9
Ace continued to a large brush area that separates the yard from the grounds of the high
school where 4 males were found hiding. The
four males where ordered out from the brush
and advised to lie down in a prone position. All
four males complied and were taken into custody by back-up officers without incident. The
males were positively identified by the victims
as the actors in the robbery.
Bensalem Township Police
Department, PA
Sergeant Jim McGinty & K9 Ace
On Sunday, 11/15/15 at 2220hrs. Sergeant
J. McGinty and K-9 Ace responded to a residence for the report of an armed subject. The
suspect had fired three rounds at his neighbor
after a verbal dispute. The suspect was also
wanted for a parole violation. While en route
to the above location, Officers on the perimeter had heard noises and located the suspect
hiding in a wooded area in the rear yard of the
shooting. The suspect denied having a firearm.
Sergeant McGinty and K-9 Ace arrived on lo-
cation for an article search. The area was on
a slope, covered with thick brush, dirt, small
trees and leaves. K-9 Ace was lifted over a
fence and given the command to search. K-9
Ace was off-leash and immediately began to
search. K-9 Ace searched at the bottom of the
hill and went into a down position indicating
that he had located an article with human
scent on it. Sergeant McGinty began to lift
up the thick brush and was able to observe
a brow handle of a silver handgun that was
partially buried in the dirt and weeds. The firearm was a silver 9mm Kimber with a brown
handle, which was loaded and had 5 bullets
in the magazine. This was the firearm used in
the shooting and the suspect in this case is a
convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history.
Further investigation revealed the firearm had
been stolen in a theft.
with a K9 narcotics search of a residence. A
K9 narcotics search was started in the apartment. K9 Artus indicated to the presence of
narcotics in the kitchen area at the kitchen table
as well as the area in front of the refrigerator.
Recovered by detectives based on the alert of
K9 Artus were approximately 500 packets of
heroin concealed inside a box of cereal located
on top of the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s
Department, PA
Detector Case
K9 DeputyTrevor Keller & K9 Artus
On November 30, 2015 at 0715 hours Keller
and K9 Artus were requested by Detective of
the Norristown Police Department to assist
On the weekend of August 28th the PD1 trials were held in Montgomery Township. There
were 20 K-9 teams that attended the event from PA and NJ. Corporal Cowden took first place
in the novice division and Officer Tobie took first place in the open division. Corporal Schum
was also given the trials decoy award. All three are members of the Bensalem Township Police
Department. It should be noted that Officer Tobie scored a 691 out of 700 points, this was a
great event hosted by Montgomery Township Police Department and Region 6.
Region 7
Montrose, NY
Those at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Montrose have a friend that helps them
heal in a different way.
Their friend isn’t giving them physical therapy or any kind of medication, instead, the
friend is providing plenty of licking and panting
and slobbery kisses.
The friend, of course, is Hunter, a police dog,
who loves working with veterans, helping them
heal, and is only impaired by the length of his
leash that’s held by his handler, VA police Sgt.
Josie Graham.
Hunter, a large black Labrador retriever,
“works” at healing in two hospitals and seven clinics of the VA Hudson Valley Health Care
System. But while all the licks and kissing are
going on, Hunter and Graham are also performing another, more important, mission for
the VA police: deterrence.
Hunter’s primary job involves his sniffer. With
a keen nose and about six months worth of
NEW YORK
training, Hunter helps find patients who may
wander away from the Montrose inpatient facilities. He also searches VA grounds and facilities for cocaine, heroin and other narcotics.
“The visual presence of the canine is just as
valuable as helping to find narcotics,” Graham
said. “If they’re up to no good and see the dog,
they usually turn the other way.”
Graham, an Army veteran from Newburgh,
has been a dog handler for about seven years
and has been working with Hunter since 2014
after he received two months of narcotics
training from the Yonkers Police Department
and his patrol skills from the town of Poughkeepsie Police Department.
Graham said she knows the work she’s doing
has an impact. She told the story of her sister
attending the 2015 funeral of a veteran who
lived in one of VA Hudson Valley’s Community Living Centers. When the funeral services
ended, the family approached Graham’s sister.
“They wanted her to thank me for bringing by
Bayne to his room because the veteran loved
when he came by,” Graham said. “When you
do those things, sometimes you don’t realize
the impact. Sometimes I think I was meant to
do this. It really changes your life.”
March 2016
Region 7
Three NYPD K9 officers on their way to pay
respects to a fallen police dog wound up playing hero to a wheelchair-bound woman Thursday morning.
Police Officers Benny Colecchia, Danny Rich
and Matthew Wicelinski, were heading to Canton, Ohio, for the funeral of Jethro — a threeyear-old German shepherd who died after getting struck by bullets during a burglary-related
shootout.
The officers were traveling on I-80 with their
own canine partners — Timoshenko, Hudson
and Dallas — when at 8 a.m., Colecchia saw
what looked like an overturned vehicle, next to
a pulled-over tractor trailer, at mile marker 64.
“I told her, ‘Listen, I’m from the New York City
police department, my name is Benny and
we’re here to help you,’” he said.
It was an ambulette that had tipped over —
and trapped inside was a woman in a wheelchair.
He used a knife to cut her free from the
wheelchair, and the officers helped load her
onto a stretcher and into an ambulance, which
arrived shortly after.
“Somebody was waving us down,” Colecchia
said. “We rushed down and we pulled over. It
was really icy.”
The woman looked like she had broken her
ankle, he said.
The officers said the ambulette driver had
lost control on a patch of black ice.
Colecchia said he
got out and slid to
the vehicle while
one of his fellow
officers grabbed
a “life hammer,”
which is used to
break glass in
emergencies.
The officers’ dogs barked during the rescue,
as they waited and watched in portable kennels.
Inside the ambulette, he found
an older woman
still in her wheelchair.
“That was very touching,” he said,” adding
that he felt a kinship with Jethro.
Colecchia — who put his last canine partner,
Blaze, to rest on Dec. 8 after the 14-year-old
German shepherd became ill — called the
rescue, and Jethro’s memorial, emotionally
fulfilling.
“A working K9 dog, it’s part of the family, it’s
a police officer. He’s part of the family,” Colecchia said.
Matt Wicelinski, Benny Colecchia and Daniel Rich wound up playing
hero to a wheelchair-bound woman Thursday morning.
Region 9
Detector Case of the Quarter, Fourth
Quarter, 2015
Sgt. Adam Shaw and K-9 Proxy
Wells Police Department,
Wells, Maine
On October 23, 2015 Sgt. Adam Shaw and
Canine Proxy from the Wells Police Department were requested to the town of Kennebunkport to assist in a sniff of mail they found
suspicious. When they arrived, the U.S. Postal
Inspector and Officers from the Kennebunkport Police Department were waiting with
eight identical shipping boxes from the U.S.
Postal Service.
Two of the boxes were known as suspected boxes to the U.S. Postal Inspector and the
Officers. Six of the boxes were known blank,
empty boxes known to the same group. Sgt.
Shaw requested that the boxes be set up in
two separate searches with one suspected
box in search. Sgt. Shaw and Proxy waited
outside while the Officers and Postal Inspector
set up the first search group.
MAINE/ EASTERN CANADA
Sgt. Shaw and Proxy were advised the
search was ready to be conducted. Proxy was
put in a sit and let off leash as she was given
her a search command. Proxy worked around
the interior of the garage and filled her curiosity. Proxy was then directed back towards
the boxes and while off lead directed her to
check the boxes as she worked down the line.
Proxy checked each of the first three boxes
without any indications of the odor of drugs to
be present. When Proxy checked the fourth
box, she had a head snap to the left and went
back to the box. She then gave a deep nasal
exchange and started to give the final alert of
the odor of narcotics by scratching at the box.
Proxy checked the remaining three boxes with
no other indications.
Sgt. Shaw and Proxy went outside while the
second set of boxes was set for a sniff. Proxy
was given her search command to check the
boxes. Proxy checked the first five boxes
with no indications of the odor of drugs to be
present. When Proxy came to the sixth box,
she stopped and had a deep nasal exchange.
Proxy continued checking the last box that had
not been done yet and returned to the sixth
box. Proxy had another deep nasal exchange
and then continued checking other boxes in
the line. Proxy checked a few more of the
boxes over again and then returned to the
sixth box in line where she had another deep
nasal exchange, increase in excitement and
started to scratch at the box, giving the final
alert to the odor of narcotics present.
The U.S. Postal Inspector and an Officer with
the Kennebunkport Police Department were advised that Proxy gave a final alert to the odor of
narcotics present within the fourth box on the
first sniff, and sixth box on the second. They
advised that these were in fact the suspected
boxes in each search and would be moving forward with their investigation. It was ultimately
discovered that each box Proxy alerted on contained one pound of marijuana shipped from
another location to Kennebunkport.
Patrol Case
Officer Keith Mackenzie and K-9
Daisy Mae
Strafford Co. Sheriff’s Office, NH
On 11/13/15 Officer Keith MacKenzie was
called at home and asked to respond to the
Cumberland Farms on Knight St to conduct a
track at a robbery scene. Upon arrival Officer
MacKenzie met with the supervisor who advised that he was driving by the Cumberland
Farms when he was waived down by a young
male. The Sgt spoke with a male who advised
he was just robbed by two males. The Sgt advised Officer MacKenzie that the male reported
he came to Rochester to purchase some prescription drugs illegally from a source he met
on Facebook. The male advised the on duty
Sgt that they agreed to meet at the Walgreens
and make the exchange. The male advised that
he gave the source cash for the pills and the
source then left the vehicle, never to return.
wards Winter St.
While tracking up King St Daisy came to the
intersection of Winter St and Wallace St. Daisy
continued left on Winter St heading back towards the Walgreens and Cumberland Farms.
Daisy continued past several residences showing every sign that she was still on the scent.
Once Daisy reached the area of 17 Winter St,
an older house with several individual apartments in it she became very excited. Daisy
became frantic and was working both ground
scent and air scent. Daisy worked the odor
around the apartment building and eventually
alerted on a door that did not have an apartment number on it and was out of place compared to the other doors. This door was located
in breezeway area off one of the parking lots
to the building. Daisy sniffed the underside of
the door and jumped on it. Officer MacKenzie
notified his backup officer of the indication. The
on duty supervisor advised the officer to remain
at the building until other officers arrived. Officer MacKenzie cleared the scene while other
officers investigated.
During the investigation that evening the two
males were arrested, one for robbery and the
other theft by deception. The apartment Daisy
led to was where the two males lived. The particular door that Daisy jumped on led to a room
in the apartment where the second male was
hiding following the robbery. The door was not
utilized by the apartment tenants, but it was
the room in which the male was hiding in the
apartment.
After the young male spent time trying to contact the source to get his money back another
male called and advised he heard what had
happened to him. The young male was advised
by the second male to come pick him up on
Winter St and he would take them to get the
pills they had already paid for. The young male
pulled onto Winter St where they saw the new
male source walking. The young male picked
up the second source and they drove down
Winter St towards King St. Once on King St the
young male advised that the second source
then pulled a knife out of his pocket and held
it to young male’s neck. The second source demanded the rest of the money that the young
male and his girlfriend had. The second source
robbed the young male of his wallet before exiting the vehicle and running off.
The Sgt advised that there was an officer waiting to run the track with the team. The track
started in front of 18 King St. The young male
advised that the second source ran up King St
towards Winter St. It was unknown where the
male had run from there. Officer MacKenzie
removed Daisy Mae, the Strafford Counties USPCA certified tracking canine, from his cruiser.
Officer MacKenzie cast Daisy around the area
to see if she would pick up the fresh scent. It
was 0200 in the morning and there was light
mist in the air. Daisy had a significant head
snap up King St. Officer MacKenzie then commanded Daisy to track. Daisy pinned her nose
to the ground and began pulling up King St to-
March 2016
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Region 10
Patrol
Corporal TJ Morse & K9 Tag
Baton Rouge Police Department
Baton Rouge, LA
On 12/13/15 at 0200 hours, Corporal TJ
Morse was dispatched to an address relative
to an armed robbery.
Prior to arrival, communications advised that
a suspect who was armed with a firearm had
robbed an individual and was currently standing outside of a nightclub. The suspect was
described as a black male wearing a black
hoodie and khaki pants.
Corporal Morse arrived on scene quickly and
observed the suspect fitting the description.
On this particular evening it was 75 degrees
outside and the suspect was the only person
in the area wearing a hoodie sweatshirt.
Corporal Morse, who was plainly identified by
his fully marked K9 uniform, exited his marked
K9 unit and advised the suspect to approach
his police vehicle. The suspect began walking
away from Corporal Morse ignoring the lawful command. Corporal Morse then further
commanded the suspect to stop and to not
attempt to run away.
At that point the suspect began to flee on foot
holding the front waistband of his pants. Cor-
LOUISIANA
poral Morse began to chase the suspect on foot
and observed him to pull out a large black handgun and look back at Corporal Morse as he fled.
Due to the observance of the weapon, Corporal Morse slowed his pursuit and attempted
to just keep him in view until other responding
units arrived.
Corporal Morse chased the suspect as he
jumped a 10 foot wooden privacy fence into
the backyard of a residential property. It was
there that the suspect was seen running
around the backyard, behind a shed, and
coming to a stop behind a vehicle in the driveway of the residence.
Corporal Morse advised the suspect to raise
his hands and step out into view but the suspect then began to flee again. Corporal Morse
continued to chase the suspect until he entered the backyard of a second residence.
Assisting units were now arriving and Corporal
Morse stopped in front of that residence and
established a perimeter with the additional assisting officers.
Due to the crimes and actions of the fleeing
felon, Corporal Morse retrieved his trained police service dog “Tag” to attempt to locate the
hiding suspect.
Corporal Morse, Tag, and an assisting uniform
patrol officer Corporal Ardoin, approached a
gate leading to the backyard of the residence
Region 12
3rd Quarter Patrol
Deputy Christian Jung & K9 Dugan
Hennepin Co. Sheriff’s Office, ND
At approximately 2100hrs, I was contacted
by Agent B. Pazernik from the BCA in reference
to a vehicle possibly involved in illegal narcotics activities. Agent Pazernik told me she had
information the occupants of a vehicle were in
route to the Twins Cities area from Willmar in
order to pick up a quantity of narcotics.
Agent Pazernik requested that after the pickup Deputies conduct a legal traffic stop on the
vehicle and ultimately conduct an exterior K9
sniff in an attempt to locate any concealed
narcotics that may be inside the vehicle. After
the occupants of the vehicle were believed to
have made the narcotics pick up in St Paul I
and a k9 warning was given into the backyard
advising the suspect to surrender. Upon no
response being given by the suspect, Tag was
commanded to search for the suspect.
Tag located the suspect who was completely
concealed under a tarp in the back yard. Tag
apprehended the suspect who then began to
violently resist. The suspects’ resistance was
overcome by Tag, Corporal Morse, and the assisting uniform officer Corporal Ardoin and he
was taken into custody. The suspect was not
found to be armed at this time.
Corporal Morse retraced the path the suspect
had taken while fleeing and located a stolen
semi auto handgun in the backyard where the
suspect had crossed the wooden privacy fence.
Corporal Morse exhibited the attributes of
an experienced k9 handler in his actions
relative to apprehending the suspect. At the
beginning, he was unable to send his k9 to
apprehend the suspect due to the number of
bystanders present. When the suspect fled
and was seen to be armed, Corporal used
discretion in his choice to follow the suspect
while assistance arrived. And finally, when the
suspect was contained he chose to use his
trained service dog limiting the exposure to
pursuing officers and the public.
WESTERN MINNESOTA
was again contacted by Agent Pazernik. She
requested Deputies wait until the vehicle gets
a distance away from the pick-up location
than conduct the stop. Sgt Cline was eventually able to locate the vehicle with the assistance of Agents. Sgt Cline conducted the stop
based on several observed traffic violations
on Hwy 12 at Co RD 15 in Wayzata. Sgt Cline
made contact with the driver, who was ID’d as
Rebecca Harper and the passenger who was
ID’d as the Vehicle’s RO, Lazaro Soliz. A routine DL/Warrant check was completed. Both
parties were found to be valid and clear.
After completing the checks I spoke with
Harper away from Soliz. Upon questioning her
about events prior to the stop, Harper told me
Soliz and she came from Willmar and went to
an Apple Bee’s in St Paul. She stated Soliz and
she met one of Soliz’s girlfriend there for din-
ner. She then told me they were on their way
back to Willmar. After both parties were questioned about events prior to the stop I requested they both step out of the vehicle and stand
next to my squad. Based on the reasonable
suspicion Soliz may have concealed narcotics
inside the vehicle it was requested by Agents.
I used my K9 and conducted an exterior sniff
of the vehicle in an attempt to locate the illegal
substance. With K9 Dugan, who is currently
certified in the detection of narcotics through
the USPCA, an exterior sniff was conducted.
Starting on the rear passenger side tire I detailed Dugan in a counter clockwise motion
around the vehicle. Upon reaching the grill
just to the right of the passenger side headlight I noticed and distinct change in Dugan’s
behavior. His breathing deepened and he appeared very focused on the area. After sniffing
March 2016
the area for several seconds Dugan began to
scratch and bite at it before going into a final
response sit. This behavior indicated to me he
was in the presence of a narcotic odor he is
trained to detect.
After the sit, I continued detailing Dugan
around the vehicle. Upon reaching the passenger side door he again displayed the same
behavior while sniffing the door handle. He
began to scratch and bite the handle before
going into a sit. After the second response I
continued detailing the vehicle. Upon reaching
the grill a second time Dugan again indicated
in the same spot as before.
After completing the vehicle sniff I kenneled
Dugan in my squad. I advised Sgt Cline of the
alerts. Based on Dugan’s positive alert to two
separate areas on the vehicle a search was
conducted. Nothing was located inside the
vehicle. Upon searching the engine compartment, I located a plastic bag directly behind
the grill and in front of the radiator area where
Dugan alerted to. Inside the bag was a clear
plastic bag containing a quantity of suspected
crystal meth. Agents were advised of the K9
alerts and the narcotics find. At the request of
Agents both Harper and Soliz were taken into
custody. Agents took custody of both parties.
MN # 319MKU and the suspected narcotics
were also turned over to Agents. After clearing the scene I was later advised by Agent T
Peterson the substance field tested positive
for meth with a weight of approximately 453
grams.
3rd Quarter Patrol Case
Officer Reggie Larson & K9 Rex
Blaine Police Department, ND
On 09/27/2015 at approximately 2031
hours, I, Officer Larson, was working on patrol
in the City of Blaine, County of Anoka, Minnesota. I was working with my USPCA Tracking
Certified Canine Partner Rex.
At that time, I heard on the radio the County
in a pursuit with a vehicle. A short time into
the pursuit, they advised that the vehicle had
blacked out and then crashed and both of the
occupants had fled on foot. The County then
requested canine assistance at that location.
I then proceeded to that location and met
with deputies there. While meeting with deputies, I was advised the driver of the vehicle
was wanted for felony flee in a vehicle as well
as possession of stolen property as the vehicle
was stolen.
I gave a canine warning over the PA of my
squad car and then waited for a response
hearing none. I then gave another canine
warning over the PA of my squad and waited
for a response and again heard no response.
During that time, I then retrieved Rex’s tracking
harness from the trunk as well as his tracking
lead. I placed the tracking harness on Rex and
then gave a third canine warning over the PA of my vehicle
and got no response.
I then advised my cover officers that Rex had
him and right after I said that the suspect began to scream that the dog was on his face.
I immediately dove for Rex and grabbed his
collar and took him off the bite and had to fight
my way back away from the suspect so the
deputies could take him into custody. The suspect was so buried in the swamp that he had
to dig his lower half out of the
swamp. He was concealed in a
that you could not see
Eventually the manner
any of his body and it appeared
water and
he just had his face sticking
out of the water. His entire
the mud/peat
body was submerged in the
was up to my
mud and water. Even his entire
waist and we
face was covered with chunks
of dead vegetation from the
were dredging
swamp.
I then removed Rex from the
back of my patrol vehicle and
hooked up his tracking lead and
proceeded to the scene of the
crash to meet with my cover
officers and the deputy. It was
unknown what direction the
occupants had fled. When we
through the
got to the crash, I immediately
deputies were eventualswamp with Rex lyThe
began casting Rex in the area.
able to dig the suspect who
pulling.
I casted him to the west about
was later identified as Jeffrey
one half a block on the north
Lee Sample, dob 09/11/70,
side of Lake George Drive and
out of his hiding spot and asthen I casted him on the south
sisted him out of the swamp.
side of the road going west. Directly across
Myself and my Canine Partner Rex then exited
from where the crash was on the south side
the swamp and I returned him to the kennel in
of Lake George Road, Rex began pulling hard
my patrol vehicle.
indicating to me that he had located a track and
After Rex was secured in my patrol vehicle,
I began to follow him.
I then made my way back to the scene of the
Rex tracked across the grass and then into
some thick woods that eventually transitioned
to a marsh or swamp. This swamp was full
of peat and reed vegetation. Once we entered
the swamp, the reeds were approximately
3’ to 4’ over my head. As we made our way
deeper into the swamp, the water was up to
my knees. I stopped Rex to see if the suspect
had just had gone north to the trail once he hit
water. We went up to the trail and got nothing.
Rex immediately pulled back into the swamp
to the original path that he was pulling on and
began pulling us farther east.
Eventually the water and the mud/peat was
up to my waist and we were dredging through
the swamp with Rex pulling. I could not see
Rex because of the tall vegetation. He was
approximately 10’ in front of me on his lead
and continued to pull east until eventually he
stopped pulling. I could not see Rex at that time
so I began finding my way up the lead. When I
got approximately 6’ away from him I pushed
the reads out of my wat and shined my light on
him. I noticed he was on something in the water
but I could not tell what it was even though I
had my flashlight on it. Eventually I was able to
make out the suspect’s right arm and realized
that Rex had apprehended the suspect.
crash where the deputies had Sample and
were waiting for an ambulance. I inspected his
injuries and observed two puncture wounds
on the left side of his face–one just below his
eye and then one approximately 1½" below
that. I also observed two puncture wounds
on the right side of his face–one on his lower
jawline and one approximately 1" above that.
Once Allina arrived, we escorted Mr. Sample
onto the ambulance and because of all the mud
the paramedics were unable to clean him up at
the scene. I advised them I would meet them at
the hospital to photograph Mr. Sample.
When I arrived at the hospital, medical personnel there were cleaning his wounds and
I was able to photograph Mr. Sample’s face.
Those photos were later downloaded into
the system at Blaine PD as well as a CD was
burned and placed into evidence.
Region 15
Patrol
K9 Sgt. Chris Robell & K9 Kota
Hamilton Township, NJ
On Sunday at 2 a.m., Hamilton Township
Police responded to a home on Mays Landing-Somers Point Road for a residential burglary in progress. An investigation revealed
the homeowner was awakened and attempted
to detain the suspect but he fled the scene on
a bicycle.
NEW JERSEY
Police set up a perimeter surrounding area
where the burglary and moments later, Officer Wade Smith located the suspect’s bicycle
a short distance away. Sgt. Chris Robell and
his K-9 partner, Kota, responded to the area
to conduct a track of the suspect.
Police said Kota’s track successfully led
officers into a wooded area where the suspect was located and hiding behind a pile of
brush. At that time, police observed the man
was in possession of a machete. K-9 Kota
apprehended the suspect and arrested without further incident.
Police identified the suspect who lived
in Egg Harbor Township. The suspect was
charged with burglary, unlawful possession
of a weapon, resisting arrest and possession
of marijuana.
Region 16
4th Quarter Detector Case
Officer Michael Aronson & K9 Talos
O’Fallon Police Department
O’Fallon, MO
On 10/20/2015, at request of the Lincoln
County Sheriff’s Office, K9 Talos and I responded to their venue to provide K9 assistance. I
contacted detectives who explained they had
a suspect in custody that was believed to
have committed several burglaries involving
stolen firearms. The suspect was arrested for
trespassing and possession of burglary tools.
Photographs previously obtained by the sheriff’s department showed the suspect walking
through a creek while carrying several long
MISSOURI • ILLINOIS
guns; however, there was no
evidence to link the suspect to
the earlier reported burglaries.
Detectives believed the firearms were hidden somewhere
on the suspect’s father’s
property, described as a ten
acre wooded lot with a creek
running through. The property
owner provided K9 Talos and I
consent to search the wooded
property area while detectives
were obtaining a search warrant for the residence. The property owner
accompanied myself, K9 Talos, and two Lincoln County Deputies during the search and
showed us the path suspect normally walked
through the woods and creek. I commanded
K9 Talos to conduct an explosive search as
we followed the path. K9 Talos searched the
banks of the mostly dried up creek but did not
alert. While searching the woods, the property
owner advised me and the other law enforcement officers that he had observed a screw
missing from a small section of the skirting
covering up a crawl space underneath his
house. He observed this a few days prior and
originally believed a raccoon had entered the
crawl space. However, he indicated the missing screw was underneath the suspect’s bed-
room window and it seemed
suspicious given the circumstances.
With K9 Talos exhausted,
we responded back to the
residence and I gave him a
break. After approximately 30
minutes, detectives arrived on
scene with the signed search
warrant. I removed K9 Talos
from my patrol vehicle and
began conducting an off lead
exterior search of several vehicles, trash piles,
and an overturned boat in the yard near the
house. K9 Talos did not alert. I then took him
to the southeast corner of the residence, near
the garage, and commanded him to sniff for
explosives. We began searching the exterior of
the residence in a clockwise direction. While
searching the south wall of the residence,
along the skirting covering the crawl space,
K9 Talos had a sudden change of behavior.
This included deeper breathing, squaring up
to the residence, becoming possessive of the
area, and tail wagging. I recognized these
Richard Meredith Cooke
Handyman
1340 Morgans Hill Road
Arvonia, VA 23004
March 2016
changes of behavior as an indication K9 Talos
smelled the odor of explosives. K9 Talos gave
a final indication to the presence of the odor
of explosives by sitting down. I verbally praised
K9 Talos and called him to me. We continued
searching past the southwest corner of the
residence and turned around. As K9 Talos
neared the same location he had initially alerted on, which was directly underneath suspect’s bedroom window, I observed the same
changes of behavior in K9 Talos as an indication to the presence of explosives and he
again gave a final indication by sitting down.
I notified detectives of K9 Talos’ alert underneath the suspect’s bedroom window. Detectives peeled back a portion of the metal skirting where K9 Talos had alerted and observed
a pile of firearms and ammunition in the crawl
space underneath the residence.
I was later notified the suspect had cut a hole
in the sub floor and carpet underneath his bed
to conceal and house the firearms in the crawl
space. They located nine firearms, all of which
were stolen, as well as a few boxes of ammunition. The suspect was formally charged
with burglary and stealing of a firearm. In addition, detectives recovered several articles
of evidence indicative of other criminal acts,
to include arson and assault first degree with
a firearm during which the suspect shot two
houses and a vehicle driving down the road.
4th Quarter Patrol
Officer Tom Thompson & K9 Ares
O’Fallon Police Department
O’Fallon, MO
On 11/09/2015, the O’Fallon Police Department received information that a Missouri
State Highway Patrolman was attempting to
stop a stolen vehicle traveling through the City
of O’Fallon. As the Trooper entered the City of
O’Fallon, an O’Fallon Police Officer observed
the Trooper attempting to stop the stolen vehicle traveling west bound on IS 70. Additionally,
the O’Fallon Officer observed that the Trooper
was by himself and the Officer engaged the
pursuit to assist the Trooper. The suspect refused to stop and exited onto Bryan Road. Due
to the vehicle being stolen, the possibility that
the driver was armed, and the driver’s refusal
to stop, I responded to assist the other units
in the event the suspect refused to exit the
vehicle or attempted to flee.
As the suspect continued traveling south on
Bryan Road, still refusing to stop, I became
concerned over the suspect’s unusual behavior. Instead of accelerating rapidly as suspects
involved in stolen vehicles usually do, the
suspect slowed his speed significantly and
stopped at intersections, and
continued traveling south on
Bryan Road. I became fearful
that due to the driver’s methodical approaches and his unusual slowing, he could possibly be
leading officers to a location of
his choice or arming himself inside of the vehicle. What I later
discovered from the investigating officers at the conclusion
of this incident was that on the
previous day, the suspect was
involved in a violent domestic
toward family members. Additionally, there was speculation
that the suspect had possibly
been armed at that time.
Officer knew that this was an area which contained one entrance and exit. The assisting
O’Fallon Police Officer also noted the suspect’s
same behavioral concerns and radioed that as
the suspect approached the
rear of the park, he would be
taking himself out of the pursuit to deploy his spike strips.
Though this was a good, preemptive plan in the event the
suspect turned around and
attempted to exit , it now left
me and the initiating Trooper
as the only officers pursuing
the suspect.
I commanded
K9 Ares to apprehend the suspect by biting
him. K9 Ares
immediately
apprehended
the suspect by
biting him on
the lower leg.
The suspect continued his
resistive flight for approximately another five miles, twisting and turning
through streets. Officers quickly set up spike
strips in advance of the pursuit. Upon the
suspect’s approach, the suspect purposefully
evaded the strips by traveling into oncoming
traffic and preventing his vehicle from being
stopped, whereby thwarting all attempts to
apprehend the suspect. Although officers in
the area had cleared traffic prior to the suspect’s arrival, the suspect’s dangerous actions
were indicative of his desire to place the lives
of anyone in his way in jeopardy.
The suspect continued his illegal flight and
traveled into a mobile home park in the City
of O’Fallon.
What I later discovered from the investigating
officers, at the conclusion of this incident, was
that the suspect’s family resided in the mobile
home community. As the suspect turned into
the residential neighborhood, my concerns
for the safety of officers and the innocent
bystanders grew. Due to the suspect’s illegal
flight, the manner in which he slowed his vehicle during the pursuit, and his purposeful evasion of the spike strips, I believed the suspect
displayed characteristics on an individual with
a propensity for violence. I knew it was in the
best interest of the community to quickly stop
the suspect.
Both the Trooper and I continued following the suspect
as he made a series of turns
into the rear of the neighborhood. As the suspect initiated
an additional turn onto the
residential street of Oak Leaf
Drive, he abruptly pulled the
stolen vehicle into the first,
immediate residential driveway of 69 Oak Leaf
Drive.
This residence was located at the corner of
the intersection and due to the suspect’s rapid
turn into the driveway, the Trooper and I were
left in a precarious position. The suspect’s
actions had stopped us immediately in our
tracks. The Trooper was left with no choice but
to halt his vehicle approximately 15 feet from
the rear of the stolen vehicle. Additionally, the
Trooper’s vehicle was positioned perpendicular to the stolen vehicle. Immediately seeing
the safety concerns, I attempted to maneuver my vehicle at an angle, whereby leaving
the rear door of my police canine vehicle accessible to deploy K9 Ares.
As the stolen vehicle came to a stop, the Trooper immediately exited his vehicle and drew his
service pistol toward the suspect. At this time,
I exited my vehicle and obtained K9 Ares from
the rear of my patrol vehicle. While attempting
to position myself in an area adjacent to the
Trooper, I observed the suspect rapidly exit the
stolen vehicle with a black, semi-automatic
The suspect continued traveling down the
residential streets, failing to stop. As the suspect approached the rear of the neighborhood,
myself and the other assisting O’Fallon Police
handgun. As soon as the suspect exited the stolen vehicle, the suspect turned, face on toward
the Trooper and I, and pointed the pistol directly
at us. Due to the intensity of the suspect’s rapid
action, the manner in which he pointed the gun
directly at our location, and the fact the suspect did not hesitate or show reservation when
he pointed the pistol directly at us, I feared the
suspect was about to attempt to kill us. Due to
the suspects’ actions indicative of him trying to
kill us, the extreme proximity of the suspect to
our location, as well as the previous actions of
the suspect leading up this event, the Trooper had no choice but to fire his service pistol
at the suspect. After the Trooper fired shots, I
observed the suspect fall to the ground on his
back.
While the suspect was lying on the ground,
his firearm was not visible. I was unable to
observe the suspect’s right hand, due to the
manner in which the suspect was lying and
I knew that the suspect had not thrown his
pistol. Additionally, I did not observe the pistol
in the surrounding area. This led me to immediately fear and believe that the suspect was
still armed. Due to the suspect’s propensity
of violence and his clear, purposeful intent on
Region 18
4th quarter Detector Case
Officer Matt Heinzmann & K9
Breaker
Bloomington Police Department
Bloomington, MN
On 11/25/2015, I received information from
a Bloomington Patrol Sergeant about a suspicious, abandoned vehicle parked near Osaka,
2631 Southtown Dr in Bloomington. The sergeant explained that a 2005 Ford F-150, was
killing the Trooper and I, there was an immediate need to locate the firearm and secure
the suspect. Additionally, it was unknown if the
suspect was injured from the Trooper’s rounds
and there was a need to render medical aid.
Using a Tazer or other non-deadly force device might be ineffective and if the suspect
was still armed, an incorrect placement of
the non-deadly force device might prove a
fatal mistake. Due to the dynamic and rapidly
changing situation involving the unsearched
felony suspect, presumed and reasonably believed to be armed, I knew that deploying K9
Ares was the most effective, non-deadly use
of force available.
I commanded K9 Ares to apprehend the suspect by biting him. K9 Ares immediately apprehended the suspect by biting him on the lower
leg. During the apprehension, the suspect began fighting K9 Ares and began kicking at him
with his other leg. K9 Ares regained a better
bite on the suspect and the pain compliance
and distraction allowed the Trooper and I the
opportunity to immediately and tactically move
to the suspect’s location. When I approached
the suspect, I observed his pistol lying within
a close proximity to his hand and I immedi-
ately moved the firearm to render it safe. At
this time, I discovered that the suspect’s pistol
was a replica semi-automatic BB gun, which
was only discernable as a replica after I briefly
inspected it. The Trooper was able to handcuff
the suspect while I immediately outed K9
Ares and medical aid was immediately provided to the suspect. It was later determined
the suspect had not been struck by any of the
Trooper’s rounds.
While the suspect was being transported
from the area, he told another officer that he
should have been dead and that it was his desire to be dead. Based on all of the suspect’s
behavior and his statements, it appeared as
though the suspect had intended to commit
“suicide by cop.” K9 Ares’ apprehension and
actions allowed the suspect to be taken into
custody without a deadly conclusion.
Although the deployment of K9 Ares meant
the possibility he would be shot and possibly
killed, K9 Ares’ non-deadly use was an effective way to immediately end the potentially
deadly situation and to afford officers the ability to render aid to the suspect.
EASTERN MINNESOTA • WISCONSIN
parked facing westbound near Osaka. The vehicle did not have any license plates displayed.
The vehicle was the lone vehicle in the lot and
was not located near any open businesses.
The sergeant had learned from the DEA that
a Ford F150 may be in the area with narcotics
hidden inside.
A check of the VIN shows the vehicle is registered out of Arizona. Through training and
experience, I know that Arizona is a source
state for narcotics distribution throughout the
United States. It is also common for vehicles
being used as load cars to switch plates.
Through various police databases, I also found
that the vehicle appears to have been recently
sold and the new owner information has yet to
be added. This too is common among drug
traffickers when using a vehicle to distribute
narcotics via a load vehicle. It is common to
wait to transfer the title until the narcotics are
delivered undetected by law enforcement.
Based on the facts that this vehicle was sitting in an uncommon location where overnight
parking is not common, the vehicle is from a
source state, no license plates are displayed
on the vehicle, and an agent of the DEA stated
a For F150 may be in the area with narcotics
inside; I believed this vehicle to be involved in
criminal activity. I along with several other Detectives performed several hours of physical
surveillance.
Based on the information that had been
obtained, surveillance was terminated and a
drug sniff of the vehicle was conducted. I along
with my canine partner Breaker conducted
a sniff of the 2005 Ford F-150. I observed
that Breaker sniffed several vehicles prior to
the Ford F-150. Breaker positively alerted to
the presence of narcotics (by sitting), after he
sniffed the airspace immediately outside the
door seam of the vehicle. Breaker is trained
to get as close as possible to the source odor
of narcotics prior to alerting. When Breaker
alerted on the door seam of the vehicle, this
indicated that Breaker was detecting the
odor of narcotics emanating from inside the
vehicle. It should be noted that Breaker is a
trained and certified narcotics detector dog.
Breaker is certified by the United States Police Canine Association. Breaker is regionally certified. Breaker is trained to positively
indicate to the odor of narcotics by sitting.
Breaker is trained to alert to the odor of var-
March 2016
ious narcotics to include marijuana, cocaine,
crack cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy,
and heroin. It should be noted that Breaker
continued around the vehicle and would crawl
underneath the vehicle. Breaker also alerted
under the engine on the passenger side near
the front tire.
of the packages revealed them to contain
methamphetamine that was wrapped in cellophane, axle grease, more cellophane and
black tape. Each package was approximately
one kilogram of methamphetamine. The total
weight being 9,926.36 grams (21.88 pounds)
of methamphetamine without packaging.
A search warrant was drafted and signed by
Hennepin County Judge for the above listed
Ford F150. I followed the vehicle back to the
Bloomington City Garage for the search. Once
at the Bloomington City Garage, I along with
Breaker conducted a narcotics sniff inside of
the vehicle. Breaker indicated to the presence
of narcotics in the air vents on the dash.
4th quarter Patrol Case
I opened the hood and looked in the engine
compartment. The plastic molding covering
the radiator appeared to be new. Under the
plastic molding, was a foam insert that was
obviously placed there and did not belong. I
removed the plastic molding piece and pulled
the foam piece out. Located behind the radiator was several packages wrapped in black
electrical tape. In my training and experience
I know that packages such as these that are
hidden in compartments often contain narcotics. A total of 10 packages were removed from
the radiator compartment. Further inspection
Officer Nicholas Kent & K9 Ranger
Forest Lake Police Department
Forest Lake MN
On 10/31/15 the Forest Lake Police Department received a call of an unwanted male at
a residence in their city. The unwanted male
was identified by the complainant and was
found to be a suspect wanted by Eagan PD for
a shooting resulting in a first degree assault
warrant being issued for him.
Prior to officers arriving on scene the male
had left north from the residence. Officers
were advised by a resident in the area that
a male had jumped a fence that separated
the interstate from the rest area. The resident gave the description of the male that she
saw to officers which matched the description
of the suspect. The resident said that she
Region 19
Detector
PSO Tony Evans & K-9 Diego
Kalamazoo Department of Public
Safety
Kalamazoo, MI
On 08-19-15, at approximately 1130 hours,
K9 Diego and PSO Tony Evans were requested
to the area of Norway and N.
Church St to assist with a search of a vehicle on a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle
had exited the vehicle and walked around the
vehicle as the officer was preparing to stop
the vehicle. The driver was contacted, and
detained. It was believed the driver discarded
evidence however officers on scene could not
locate it. The interior of the vehicle and surrounding area was search prior to our arrival
and no evidence was recovered. I directed K9
Diego to the suspect vehicle. K9 Diego gave a
positive alert for to the odor of narcotics underneath the vehicle from the passenger side,
and was attempting to crawl underneath the
thought the male went into some tall cattails
under an overpass.
Officer Kent and his K9 partner Ranger responded to the area to search for the suspect.
It was unknown at this time if the suspect
was armed but was to be considered armed
and dangerous. At this time Officer Kent deployed K9 Ranger on lead to search for the
suspect working southbound in the west ditch
of the interstate. As Officer Kent and Ranger searched the area, Ranger made a distinct
head snap to the right and immediately went
into the cattails that were in the ditch. Ranger then made a circle in the cattails and then
worked through the cattails exiting north of
where Ranger initially entered. After exiting
the cattails, Ranger worked back south and
again entered the cattails and stopped. At
this point Officer Kent could hear that Ranger
had made an apprehension. Commands were
given to the suspect and Ranger was removed
from the apprehension and the suspect was
taken into custody.
The suspect was transported to jail on his
felony first degree assault warrant after being
treated at a local hospital.
MICHIGAN • CANADA
vehicle. Based on the alert the vehicle was
moved back and the ground was searched.
Located on the ground where the vehicle had
been parked was a bundle of heroin. The driver was arrested for possession of heroin.
Detector
PSO Tony Evans & K9 Diego
City of Kalamazoo Dept of Public
Safety
Kalamazoo, MI
the bed in the same room and gave a positive
alert for the odor of narcotics on a canvas type
bag on the floor. No further alerts were given
and K9 Diego was removed from the room.
I notified KVET investigators of the results of
the search.
Located in the dresser was approximately
225 grams of cocaine, 10 grams of heroin,
continued on page 36
On 11-10-15, K9 Diego and I were requested to assist the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement
Team with a search of a residence on a search
warrant.
Upon arrival a larger quantity of marijuana
had already been located. I directed K9 Diego to an upstairs bedroom that had not been
searched before our arrival.
K9 Diego worked to a dresser on the far wall
of the room, K9 Diego gave a positive alert for
the odor of narcotics on the rear of the dresser
near the wall. K9 Diego then searched under
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Tips from
Bloat Research
Looks at Gastric Motility
to Better Understand the Disorder
K-9
SOURCE: DR. LAURA NELSON, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
device picks up on changes in pressure, temperature and
officers know to look for signs of injuries and illness
acidity as the pill passes through the gut and can record
in their dogs. The signs of gastric dilatation-volvulus
episodes of bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, vomiting,
(GDV), more commonly known as bloat, appear suddenly.
and nausea.
A hard, swollen loin, unsuccessful vomiting, pacing, and
anxiety are classical signs. All too quickly, a dog’s bloated
Importantly, the SmartPill tells how long it takes for solids
stomach twists, cutting off blood and oxygen to vital organs.
to pass through the gastrointestinal tract. “The pill may stay
GDV has been recognized in dogs for more than 100 years. in the stomach of one dog for 21 hours and another for only
Gastric dilatation is when the stomach fills like a balloon with 10 minutes before reaching the small intestine,” says Dr. Nelson.
“Prolonged transit of material through the stomach may
gas, and gastric dilatation with
stretch gastric ligaments to allow the stomach to twist.
volvulus is when the gas-filled
In addition, we know that the gas in the stomachs of
stomach twists 180 degrees on its
axis. Sadly, one in four dogs does
dogs with GDV is a product of bacterial fermentation.
not survive bloat.
With the SmartPill, we seek to learn if GDV risk and
Other than a dog’s conformation
gastrointestinal motility are linked.”
— large and giant breeds with deep
The ability to predict which dogs are likely to respond
chests — there are more
well to surgery could be as
mysteries about what causes
simple as determining the
the disorder than facts.
amount of lactate in a dog’s
Efforts are underway at
blood, a measure of how
Michigan State University
effectively oxygen reaches
to learn whether gastric
body tissues. “When lactate
goes up, it is a sign that
dysrhythmia may predistissues in the body have had
pose at-risk breeds to gasto make energy without
trointestinal motility
oxygen,” says Dr. Nelson.
problems that lead to GDV.
“The killer in GDV is more
A complex process,
commonly related to shock,
gastric motility is controlled
or the inability of the body
by hormones, the central
to get oxygen and nutrients
nervous system, an enteric
to the tissues, and thus
nervous system, the autonot necessarily related to
matic nervous system, and
the stomach. Lactate indicells within the GI tract,
cates the severity of shock
factors that determine the
in a particular dog, but
strength, speed and pattern
high lactate does not necof GI contractions. “To make
things even more compliA capsule-sized wireless motility device called the SmartPill™ is being used essarily indicate a dog will
survive or die.”
cated, the fat-to-protein
by researchers at Michigan State University to study whether gastric dilatationGiven that bloat is a
level and carbohydrates in volvulus (GDV) risk and gastrointestinal motility are linked. Dogs swallow the
SmartPill, which relays information to a recorder worn in a harness or vest.
complex age-old disease,
a dog food, as well as the
calories a dog consumers
it is not surprising that
and whether the food is solid or fluid, and the kinds of bacteria
answers don’t come quickly. In the meantime, being aware
and other microorganisms in the gut also play a role in GI
of signs to promote early detection and planning ahead are
motility,” says Dr. Laura Nelson, associate professor-health
important in helping the K-9 survive bloat.
sciences at Michigan State University.
A capsule-sized wireless motility device called a SmartPill™
The bloat study at Michigan State University is funded by
may provide insights about how gastric motility may cause
the AKC Canine Health Foundation. Purina and the AKC
Canine Health Foundation are longtime partners in helping
bloat. In the study, about 80 dogs have swallowed the $600
to advance canine health research so that dogs may live long,
SmartPill that relays information about gastric motility to a
SmartPill recorder worn in a harness or vest. The technological
healthy lives.
March 2016
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Scan Code
March 2016
March 2016
continued from pg 22…
and 35 grams of “Ice” methamphetamine.
Located in the bag on the floor under the bed
were three handguns. K9 Diego searched the
room despite a strong marijuana smell in the
residence, and located a larger quantity of narcotics and three handguns.
Detector
Sgt. Sean Thrush & PSD Sirk
Toronto Police Service
Toronto, Canada
The decedent in this matter was last seen in
March of 2015. He had recently become despondent as a result of relationship and financial difficulties, but was not initially reported
missing by family members. In early June, his
vehicle was located in a Region neighbouring
the City of Toronto in a private parking lot where
it had been left around the time of his disappearance. The local police service contacted
the deceased’s family, however no missing
person report was associated with the vehicle
at the time. Shortly thereafter, the family reported the male missing. The ensuing investigation
revealed that shortly before his disappearance,
the male had attended a sporting goods store
and purchased a rifle and ammunition. All communication and banking activity ceased shortly
after this, leading investigators to believe that
the male had possibly committed suicide.
On June 11th, the team of Sgt Sean Thrush
and Cadaver Detection Dog (CDD) “Sirk” were
requested to attend the parking lot where the
missing person’s vehicle had been located to
assist in searching the vast ravine and wood-
ed area south of the lot. This area was heavily
overgrown with weeds, tangled brush, deadfall
and was divided by a medium sized tributary
river. The team commenced a contour search
in a southwest direction, using the river’s natural route as a boundary. CDD Sirk works a tight
search pattern, close to his handler. As a result
of this, combined with the natural obstacles and
heavy foliage, the decision was made to work
the dog offline.
Approximately 100 to 150 metres into the
search, Sirk began showing a heightened interest in the river edge, at several locations almost
entering the water. Sirk has a strong aversion to
deep water or swimming and will usually avoid
it unless absolutely necessary. This caused Sgt
Thrush to suspect that the area on the south
side of the river was of particular interest. Unfortunately, the river was too deep and too wide
to wade across, so the contour search was
continued a distance west until a bridge was
located. It should be noted that the flow of the
river was easterly, towards the team, and the
handler had to be cognizant of the possibility
that the deceased could also be in the water
further upstream.
After crossing the bridge, the team doubled
back along the south side of the river bank,
continuing the contour search. Upon approaching the area on the opposite side of the river
where he had initially shown interest, Sirk broke
from his search pattern and began a heads-up
search into thick brush southeast of the handler’s location. Sirk located the deceased on
a fallen log within an area of thick brush and
foliage, staying with the body as he is trained to
do until his handler arrived. The deceased was
partially skeletonized and a rifle was located on
the ground in front of the body.
The area where CDD Sirk located the deceased was heavily overgrown, with no foot
paths. It is an area not regularly travelled by
any persons. It is likely that the deceased would
have remained undetected in this location for
a very long time. The search area would have
required a large number of officers to properly
search on foot and many man hours. CDD Sirk
was able to quickly and efficiently locate the
deceased, ultimately helping to give closure to
his family and friends.
Patrol
Cst. Greg MacArthur & K9 General.
Guelph Police Service
Ontario, Canada
On November 29th, 2015, at 4:12pm, two
Guelph Police officers stopped to assist a broken down vehicle. The vehicle was discovered
to be stolen and the driver fled on foot into a
wooded area. A foot chase commenced but
the suspect eluded the officer. Cst. MacArthur
and his K9 partner General arrived on scene at
4:34pm to search for the suspect.
PSD General was given his tracking command
and immediately picked up a track in a northbound direction into the wooded area. The track
led to a farm property and continued up to an
open barn door. K9 General was used to search
the barn; however, the suspect was not located.
Upon exiting the barn, PSD General picked
up the track heading in a westbound direction,
entering another wooded area. The track exited
into a farm field and PSD General continued to
pull hard and entered into another set of woods.
While in the woods, PSD General located a bicycle on its side at the edge of a 5 foot wide
creek. The K9 team had been tracking for 20
minutes covering 1.5kms of ground. 30 minutes into the track PSD General approached a
narrow creek and began to show signs of track
loss. His handler swept him back and forth
on either side of the creek but could not pick
up the track. After 5 minutes of searching for
the track, PSD General entered the creek and
began running down the middle of the creek
for 200 meters and then exited on the other
side, showing his normal tracking profile. It is
believed that the suspect ran down the creek in
an attempt to fool the K9.
Approximately an hour after starting the track
and tracking 3.5kms, PSD General located a
pair of shoes and a pair of jeans in a thick bush
area. PSD General began to pull harder, indicating the scent of the suspect was getting closer.
At 5:40pm, PSD General tracked through a farm
field and entered a property full of broken down
cars. At 5:40pm, PSD General tracked over a hill
and the tracking line went slack. General began
to bark, indicating he had found the suspect.
His handler observed PSD General standing on
the suspect’s chest. The suspect was arrested.
Three days later, it was reported that the green
bike located by PSD General was stolen from
the barn they had searched on the track. It was
learned that the suspect had stolen the bike to
assist in his getaway. The suspect was charged
with Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and Break,
Enter and Commit Theft. The length of the track
was 4.89km and lasted an hour and 20 minutes. Three different police services and airport
security were involved in assisting in creating a
perimeter.
Deputy Sean Urban & K-9 Fred
Washtenaw County Sheriff
3rd Quarter Patrol Catch
On August 21st, 2015, at approximately
11:15 a.m., Deputy Sean Urban and his police
service dog partner FRED were requested by
the Van Buren Township Police Department
(Wayne County, MI) to assist them with locating
a felonious domestic assault suspect who had
fled the scene upon their arrival. Upon his own
arrival at the scene, Deputy Urban learned the
following from the investigating officers:
The suspect, a black male wearing a black
t-shirt and yellow University of Michigan pajama bottoms, had picked up and struck a woman in the head with a portable safe causing her
injury and prompting the call to the police.
The suspect had multiple confirmed felony
warrants and a history of violent behavior toward others.
Upon the arrival of the first responding officers a brief foot pursuit ensued, but the suspect
managed to elude the pursuing officers.
An officer on the scene directed Deputy Urban to the area where the suspect was last
observed running. Deputy Urban retrieved K9
FRED from his patrol vehicle and gave him the
command to track, while officers from Van Buren established an area perimeter.
After briefly casting about in the area, K9
FRED located the suspect’s scent and began
tracking south through the apartment complex. FRED tracked to and along the west fence
line covering both soft and hard surfaces until
reaching Tyler road. In this particular area, Tyler
is a heavily traveled roadway. Once out to Tyler road, K9 FRED tracked west along the road
and into the Hickory Woods subdivision. Inside
the subdivision, Deputy Urban and K9 FRED
worked through a cul-de-sac and continued
tracking behind residences along Hardwood
Street. While tracking behind residences, K9
FRED demonstrated a great amount of deliberate interest to the area beneath the wooden
deck of a residence they tracked too. After the
area under the deck was cleared, Deputy Urban
and K9 FRED continued to track behind houses.
It was at this time that Deputy Urban observed
movement underneath a wooden deck approximately fifty (50) yards in front of their position.
As Deputy Urban continued the track he called
out to perimeter units that the suspect was in
front of them. Van Buren Township perimeter
units were able to locate and take the suspect
into custody without incident.
Following the arrest, Deputy Urban spoke
with the suspect who confirmed that he had
initially attempted to hide underneath the first
deck that K9 FRED had showed interest in,
but was unable to fully conceal himself so he
moved on. It should be noted that this is Deputy Urban and K9 FRED’s first tracking “catch”
since becoming a new K9 team in January
2015 and certifying in their first USPCA PD II
in May of 2015.
Region 21
Detector
Officer Brad Comer & K9 Tya
Manchester, Iowa Police Department
On 12-21-2015 at approximately 2000
hours, I was called to assist the Delaware
County Sheriff’s Department with a valid search
warrant. Upon my arrival, I deployed K9 Tya with
her bulletproof vest and went to the unattached
garage to secure the area and ensure the safety of all officers until the male subject was detained. I took the bulletproof vest off and placed
it back in the squad before starting the search
for narcotics.
Upon entering the unattached garage, I gave
K9 Tya the command to search for illegal narcotics. We started near the small door on the
east wall and then went south. As I turned the
corner on the south wall, K9 Tya alerted on the
top and bottom of the red snap on toolbox. I advised dispatch of the alert immediately via radio
at 2022 hours. I gave K9 Tya a pat on the chest
and gave her verbal praise before continuing
IOWA
the search. As we continued through the unattached garage, K9 Tya did not alert on any
other items. After confirming the items inside
the toolbox, K9 Tya was rewarded in a manner
consistent with her training.
After opening the snap on tool box, there was
many items inside that K9 Tya alerted to. The
items located are as follows:
A7
Plastic Pen Tube / Powder inside (Meth)
A8
Glass Tile / White powder residue (Meth)
A9 Aluminum Foil with White substance
(Meth)
A10 Plastic Baggie Containing white powder
(approximately 14 grams of Methamphetamine)
A11Roach
A12Roach
A13 4 plastic baggies containing white powder (Meth)
A14 Cleaning rods for pipes
A15 portion of VISA card/ contained white
residue
A16 Sea Salt Splash tin containing ¼ pound
of marijuana, roach clip, roaches, zig zag
papers
Patrol
Sioux County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Justin De Bruin & K9 Sonny
Sioux County, IA
On Thursday January 14, 2016 at around
1552 hours, I was dispatched to a welfare check on a male party. According to
the subject’s friends, the male had been
acting strange as of late and was believed
to be using methamphetamine and was
“tweaked out.” The male made comments
about hurting his father if he did not give
him a gun.
At 1554 hours, Dispatch received a 911 call
from the male parties sister. At the time of the
call the calling party was at her uncle’s house.
She was requesting law enforcement at her
mother’s house, which is the same address as
March 2016
Region 21
IOWA
his father if he did not give him a gun.
Patrol
Sioux County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Justin De Bruin & K9 Sonny
Sioux County, IA
On Thursday January 14, 2016 at around
1552 hours, I was dispatched to a welfare
check on a male party. According to the
subject’s friends, the male had been acting
strange as of late and was believed to be
using methamphetamine and was “tweaked
out.” The male made comments about hurting
At 1554 hours, Dispatch received a 911 call
from the male parties sister. At the time of the
call the calling party was at her uncle’s house.
She was requesting law enforcement at her
mother’s house, which is the same address
as the welfare check. The female stated that
the male was threatening to kill her and her
mother. At this time, the mother was with the
male at her house. The suspects sister stated that her brother is under the influence of
methamphetamine and there are guns inside
the residence, possibly loaded. She stated
she has been trying to make contact with her
mother but is unable to because the suspect
took the cell phones to prevent her from calling the police.
It was later learned that the sister had arrived
on scene and the suspect grabbed her face
and told her he was in control and that if anyone tried calling the police he would kill them.
The sister had three kids in her vehicle and
managed to escape the residence and retreat
to her uncle’s house to call 911.
I arrived on scene at 1603 hours, and witnessed the Mother standing outside along
with a grandson and an agent from the Boys
Town of Iowa. The suspect was standing outside by the house without a shirt on yelling at
me when I arrived. I got out of my patrol car
and he continued yelling at me. I tried talking
with him, but the condition he was in there
was no reasoning.
The suspect went inside the house where
a grandson was and locked the door. At this
time an Iowa State Trooper arrived on scene.
I walked back to my patrol car and leashed
up my patrol dog, Sonny, for officer protection.
The Trooper and I walked over to the door and
we tried making contact with the suspect. I
could see the suspect through the window on
the door and he was yelling for us to get out of
here and get a warrant.
I tried to open the door but it was locked. I
held open the screen door and told the Trooper to kick the door in. At this point we were
concerned for the child’s welfare, with the
threats the suspect had made about killing
family and with the guns inside the house.
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The Trooper kicked the door open and we
were able to get the child out of the house
safely.
The Trooper and I got the suspect to go to
his knees. He put his hands up and faced us. I
gave him verbal commands to face away from
me and lay on to the ground. The suspect was
warned that if he refused and decided to fight
he could be bitten. He refused and continued
yelling at me and the dog.
The suspect then got up and came at K9
Sonny and me. The Trooper deployed his Taser on the suspect. The barbs stuck into his
side. He grabbed the barbs and pulled them
out right away as if they had no effect on him.
He started stepping backwards, and K9 Sonny
was deployed for an apprehension.
As K9 Sonny dove in for an
apprehension, the suspect
grabbed Sonny’s head and
held on to it, refusing to let it
go and preventing him from
biting.
I gave the suspect verbal
commands to let go of his
head. I charged over to the
subject and got him to release
K9 Sonny’s head by striking
him in the face. He released
Sonny and grabbed me around
my neck and head, attempting
to put me in a head lock.
I tried to open
the door but it
was locked. I
held open the
screen door and
told the Trooper
to kick the
door in.
I grabbed for my Taser and
attempted to Taser the sus-
pect, but he also grabbed my
Taser preventing me from
using it. I managed to put my
Taser away and I took the suspect to the ground. I tried gaining control of him and struck
him in the face once again.
Meanwhile K9 Sonny was
still biting his upper thigh. Finally, the suspect said he was
finished. I pulled K9 Sonny
away and the suspect was
handcuffed. The suspect was
transported to the Sioux Center Hospital by Sioux Center
Ambulance for injuries.
Region 22
Region 22 - Patrol
Sgt. Kyle Shelton & K9 Bear
Decatur City Police Department, AL
On the morning of October 18th, 2014, officers were dispatched to a missing persons
call at an assisted living community. An 86
year old resident who suffers from dementia
had walked away from the facility. Staff members called the Decatur Police Department
after being unable to locate the resident. K9
Sergeant Kyle Shelton was dispatched to the
scene approximately 1 ½ hours after the resident had been missing.
Staff members of the living community provided some of the missing resident’s clothes
to Sergeant Shelton. Utilizing the missing
resident’s dirty socks, K9 Bear was able to
locate a track. K9 Bear tracked south from
the complex in to a heavily wooded area near
the living facility. K9 Bear then tracked down
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a trail through the wooded area. After tracking
for approximately half an hour, Sergeant Shelton and K9 Bear located the missing resident
lying face down about 6 feet away from his
walker and dangerously close to a pond. The
resident was suffering from minor abrasions
and extremely low blood sugar.
Due to Sergeant Shelton and K9 Bear’s successful track and locating of the missing resident, EMS and Fire were able to respond and
carry the resident to a local hospital where he
is expected to recover.
Region 22 - Detector
Ofc. Jeff Stubbs & K9 Han
Huntsville City Police Dept, AL
On the afternoon of June 4th, 2015, a representative of a local U-Haul store informed
agents with the multi-jurisdiction federal drug
task force that an employee was possible
shipping boxes containing narcotics to the
store. When the agent arrived at the store, he
had the package in question set aside next to
5 similarly sized boxes. Agents then requested Officer Stubbs to search the boxes with K9
Han. K9 Han indicated on the box in question
and a search warrant was obtained to search
the box.
Once the warrant was obtained, agents
searched the box and recovered approximately 20 pounds of marijuana packaged for sale
within the box. Agents later stated that the
street value of the recovered narcotics to be
$50,000. The recovery of this evidence led to
the subsequent arrest of the package recipient.
For Rates & schedule contact: Robert Dougherty Jr.
Phone: 610.316.3942 • Fax: 215.948.3594 • Email: uspcacourier@gmail.com
March 2016
Trainer’s Corner
Demystifying Trailing
I
N MY 40 PLUS YEARS OF DOG
training experience, I’ve had the
good fortune to work in a variety
of dog training areas in sport and
practical disciplines, plus 30 years
of working dogs as a first responder in search and rescue. After retirement, I’ve gone on to continue
work as a volunteer wilderness
search and rescue and human remains detection team handler, so
I’m still active in these areas. I also
teach seminars in scent related
disciplines, and each time I teach
a seminar, I consider again how
to get the points across that allow
others to design efficient and effective training programs.
By Deborah Palman,
Maine Warden Service, ret.
Tracking vs. Trailing
Having worked in both areas for
years, watched tracking and trailing teams work, seen their relative
effectiveness in finding people at
actual police and search and rescue scenes, and having trained
my own tracking and trailing dogs,
I am now firmly in the trailing
camp with my training. I’ve done
sport tracking and “tweaked” my
practical trailing work enough to
pass sport tracking tests with my
search and rescue trailing dogs,
but I know that the better bloodhound handlers and trainers have
it right: If you haven’t taught scent
discrimination to your trailing dog,
don’t expect consistent success at
search and rescue scenes or other
real life trailing (or tracking) situations. So instead of playing word
games with tracking and trailing, I
am going to just use the word trailing. Trailing means scent discriminating, and scent discriminating is
one of the essential steps needed
in teaching a detection dog.
In the last few years, as I trained
Some police K-9 handlers, sport
new narcotics teams and reviewed
dog handlers and the public use
the training steps to produce an
the word “tracking” when they deoperational narcotics detector
scribe a dog or a person followteam, I realized that teaching a dog
ing the scent or sign left behind
to find a person by trailing requires
when a person travels over the
the same basic training steps used
ground. “Trailing” is the term used
to train all detector dogs, no matter
by bloodhound and search and
what the target scent is. The probrescue handlers and trainers who
lems most trailing dog handlers enTrailing is Detection
know that teaching a dog to “scent
counter is that many of them don’t
The first step in training a detecdiscriminate” or follow one target
have these steps in mind when
tion
dog is to establish a reward
person’s scent only (often utilizing
they train. They do what peosystem.
Dogs work for food, for
a target scent article) is one of the
ple traditionally have done in their
play, for toys and some detection
first steps needed to produce a
training group to teach trailing. But
dogs with high hunt drive work just
dog that will be the most effective
the only differences between what
to “hunt” and follow the scent puzin finding a person. These handlers
a narcotics detection team does
zle to its conclusion. Trailing dogs
and trainers also aren’t hung up on
and what a trailing dog team does
can be taught with any reward systhe idea that the dog needs to folare the target odors they are looktem, but the important point is that
low the “footsteps” on the ground.
ing for, the environments they work
the reward has to motivate the dog
Allowing the dog to use its natural,
in, and the fact that the trailing dog
to work. What ever the reward, the
inbred talents to locate the target
team follows “residual” target odor
dog will be “imprinted” on the tarscent means the dog doesn’t althat is left on the ground to the the
get scent by linking the reward to
ways follow the footsteps, but foltarget instead of following air born
the target scent in the dog’s mind.
lows the scent.
target odor to the target.
Trainer’s Corner
What is the target scent in trailing?
The scent of the person the dog is
working to find on that trail. What
is the target scent in narcotics?
Whatever narcotics scent(s) the
dog is working on that day. In narcotics, trainers will use a different
systems and pieces of equipment
to try to introduce the narcotics
odor in a manner that doesn’t tie
other environmental or handler
cues to the odor, like scent boxes,
walls with holes, etc. Or they may
use a scented toy to introduce
odor and then train the dog not to
indicate on the scent of “unscented” toys.
Since the primary motivator of
trailing dogs is usually a person
running away with the dog’s toy
or food, the person is the target
scent and motivator all in one, and
it usually doesn’t take much work
to get the dog to understand the
hunting game. What takes more
time is teaching scent discrimination and eliminating the other cues
(like a running or visible person
and handler influences) from information the dog uses to solve the
detection problem.
Scent Discrimination
Once a dog is imprinted on one
or more odors and has an understanding that “odor = target = reward,” scent discrimination work
needs to be done. This should be
done before the dog is taught a
“finished and proofed” indication,
or an indication on an incorrect
odor becomes hard to change if
it shows up later in the dog’s performance. Up to this point, even
if a program uses equipment that
helps to separate outside influences from the introduction of target
odor, the dog has to learn that not
every odor produces a reward. In
the imprinting stage, usually the
target odor is the only “unusual” odor presented to the dog at
that time. Scent discrimination in
narcotics training means introducing many other odors to the
dog besides the target odors,
like odors that might be used for
masking, common chemicals and
odors found in search areas, odors
that are found on the packaging
of the drugs, etc., and showing
the dog that these are odors that
are NOT going to be rewarded.
For example, if, in training, drugs
are packaged in a PVC pipe, the
dog is likely to indicate on PVC
pipes without drugs unless the
dog has been trained that the PVC
pipes alone don’t produce any rewards.
All training in scent discrimination has to rely on the dog’s choice
and whether or not that choice is
rewarded or not. Yes, you could
teach a dog to not indicate on PVC
pipes without drugs by telling the
dog “no” or causing the dog discomfort in some manner when it
indicated on PVC pipes, but this
will probably cause the dog to
avoid all PVC pipes, even the ones
that contain drugs. Much of detector training is scent discrimination
training: setting up endless choices of odors to choose from and
rewarding the correct choices and
ignoring the wrong ones.
No Help Allowed
In detection training, all the training needs to be formulated so that
the handler and/or trainers give no
“help” to the dog. Dogs are masters at reading body language and
noticing split second changes in
their environment. They notice everything about the people around
them: their body language, their
heartbeat and even their smell.
Even with elaborate equipment, it
is hard to eliminate all the signals
given off by the people present,
and advanced training needs to
include having the handlers and
trainers giving off conflicting signals, like trying to pull the dog
away from target odor. The point is
that, again, all training has to rely
on the dog making the right choice
without any help from the humans
involved, whether or not that help
is produced consciously or unconsciously.
Scent Discrimination in Trailing
So how does one teach scent
discrimination in trailing? Generally dogs that are taught trailing by
seeing a person leave don’t have
a problem with scents unrelated to
humans in the initial training that is
all short and fresh trails. But they
need to be taught to follow the
target person and not other people. This is started by introducing
a scent article with the target scent
during the imprinting exercises. In
the beginning exercises, the traillayer drops a scent article at the
location the dog is to start the trail.
Dogs naturally will sniff this article
because it stands out from the
Since the primary motivator of trailing dogs is usually
a person running away with the dog’s toy or food, the person is
the target scent and motivator all in one…
March 2016
Trainer’s Corner
environment, so the dog pauses
only a second to check the article
then continues on the trail to find
the traillayer and get a reward. As
time goes on and the dog is taught
a starting ritual for trailing, the article will be moved from the ground
in a series of steps so that it can
be presented by the handler at the
start of the trail. But leaving it at the
start of the first few run away trails
is the first step.
It is about this point that some
police K-9 handlers who have
been tracking and not trailing begin
to whine about not having a scent
article to start all their tracks. This
is not a valid argument because
all tracks or trails start with some
sort of target scent, or the dog
would not be trailing. The target
scent may be a car seat, it may be
a broken window at a burglary, or
it may just be a “point last seen”
where the dog can pick up a relatively uncontaminated scent that
leaves the area. Not all “scent articles” are contained in a bag. The
handler has to determine how they
will present the target scent to the
dog, or they may have to rely on
the dog to pick up the scent. If you
want more information on starting tracks, my article “The Start
is the Most Difficult Part,” as well
as a number of other articles on
trailing, are available on the Maine
Search and Rescue Dog web site
(www.mesard.org) under “Search
and Rescue Literature.” The crucial point is that the handler knows
how to present the target scent to
the dog when starting a trail. If the
dog’s trail is important to a criminal
investigation, the handler has to be
able to articulate how they set the
dog on the target scent in a court
of law, whether or not they use an
actual “scent article.”
Scent discrimination in trailing is
taught using “splits.” In split trails,
two traillayers walk side by side for
100 feet or so, then split off at 45
degree angles or more, walking a
short distance to a hiding place.
Like all basic trailing exercises, the
set up has to be so that the beginner dog isn’t unduly influenced
by wind blowing from the traillayer
or by visual cues that can help or
mislead the dog. The target traillayer has left a scent article at the
start or in a bag with the handler.
The handler can shake the article out on the ground at the start,
or start from the bag if the dog is
ready for this step. Just like narcotics training, the dog is allowed
to make a choice at the split and
is rewarded if it trails to the cor-
rect traillayer, and given nothing if
it trails to the wrong person. If the
dog trails to the wrong person,
the handler takes the dog back
to the beginning, starts over and,
most of the time, the dog will pick
the right person the second time.
These are short, because the dog
has to make the choice and go to
the end of the trail before it gets
a reward, or the dog does a “do
over” if it made the wrong choice.
Of course, this assumes that the
tracklayers are of “equal” value to
the dog, and not a combination of
a person the dog knows really well
and lives with and a total stranger.
Don’t try to get a beginner dog to
pick a total stranger over someone
the dog knows and likes.
Again, it is important that the dog
makes the choice and the handler
NOT interfere by steering the dog
at the split or giving the dog any
information until the dog reaches
the traillayer. Narcotics dog handlers know they shouldn’t steer
their dog to the drugs, and trailing
dog handlers should do the same.
These split tracks are done with
two people until the dog picks the
right track all the time, then done
with three or more people until the
dog is correct all the time.
Dogs pick this exercise up pretty quickly when it is done correctly. And once they get it, they don’t
seem to forget it. It usually makes
sense to them to follow one person. Teaching scent discrimination correctly also corrects the
problem of tracking dogs picking
a track based on age – like police
dogs that might track the officers
that contaminated the scene rather than the suspect. Once taught
scent discrimination, the age of the
trail becomes much less important
to the dog. They just try to follow
the correct scent, and are less likely to make choices based on the
Trainer’s Corner
age of the trail. Any dog that tracks
or trails consistently well under all
sorts of conditions involving contamination has learned to scent
discriminate, whether or not the
handler or training program deliberately included it in their exercises. Even with less thought out programs, some dogs just understand
from the beginning and do a good
job. Other teams struggle because
some training element has been
left out.
When the dog is scent discriminating, trails can be laid in contaminated areas, and the only “contamination” that complicates training is
“same scent” contamination by the
person laying the trail. For example, handlers and trainers need to
pay attention to where the traillayer has been in at least the last 24
hours and not start new dogs in
places where the traillayer has previously been if they expect the dog
to start cleanly. This is why I always
pick start points a distance from
where the group is parked or has
been walking their dogs. More than
one time I have tried to start a track
from a pole or sign only to find out
that the traillayer walked his dog
there an hour before I tried to start
trailing in the same spot, creating a
giant scent “snarl” that was difficult
for the dog to sort out, and leaving
me wondering why my dog did not
start well.
Narcotics detection dogs that
are not taught scent discrimination
early in their detection training are
prone to indicating on novel scents
they encounter, or to indicating on
scents that accompanied the target scent in training. Tracking dogs
that don’t scent discriminate will
switch tracks from one person to
another, or pick tracks based on
the age of the track. This is common with police K-9 teams who
don’t have enough time to train
trailing correctly or don’t plan their
tracks adequately. Since the scent
that trailing dogs follow can remain
in the environment for days or even
a week or more, nearly every training venue police K-9 teams practice in has human scent contamination, even if the handler didn’t
see someone walking there the last
few hours. If the only training tracks
a police K-9 does are ones where
a scent article is not used, scent
discrimination is not practiced and
someone walks off and hides within the last 30 minutes, the handler
may be programing the dog to follow the freshest track in the area
instead of following a specific individual.
Teaching an Indication
All trailing dogs should be taught
some sort of end indication to tell
the handler that they have found
the traillayer. While “scent lineups”
may be controversial, and it is very
hard to teach a dog to consistently
pick the right person out of a true
line up of a number of people (for
reasons I can’t go into right now), it
isn’t hard to teach a dog to indicate
on the person at the end of a trail.
It is also not hard to teach a dog
pick the right person out of a few
passive people at the end of a trail.
This has a number of applications
for criminal work, and it can help
a team know if they are trailing the
right person or not. It also serves
as a definitive way to have the dog
end the track and close the distance to the tracklayer. I know that
closing in on the traillayer may not
be tactically desirable in all situations and that it is best that trailing dog be taught what Jeff Shettler calls a “proximity alert,” but I
Trainer’s Corner
-introduce distractions in a measured way, ensuring that the dog
has adequate motivation to work,
and reward the dog when the dog
gets by the distractions and performs successfully.
Extending the Search – Teaching
the Dog to Search for Longer Time
Periods
Once past the the imprinting
stage, all detector dog teams need
to gain skill at locating targets under more and more challenging
circumstances and searching for
longer and longer periods of time.
Narcotics dogs need to go from
finding a hide every few minutes
during their imprinting and reward
stages to finding a reward every 15
or 20 minutes, or whatever the expected search time will be for the
team. Trailing dogs go from following a short, fresh trail with a quick
reward to working for hours under
more difficult conditions.
find a good argument for having
the dog go to the traillayer to get
its reward. I have a war story I tell
about a handler I knew who always
threw a toy to his dog at the end of
a trail and never had the traillayer
reward the dog. Often he threw the
toy before the dog closed all the
way into the tracklayer. This team
was in training before our training
group learned how important it
was to have a good indication on
the traillayer. At one point in their
career, the dog trailed up to within
8 feet of a burglar (who the handler
never knew was there) at the end
of a nighttime track in an area with
clumps of dense bushes. The dog
got close enough so that knew
where the burglar was and waited
for his ball to appear. After the ball
didn’t appear, the dog wandered
off and began urinating on trees.
The handler became frustrated
and left, assuming that the dog
never had a good track. The handler heard later on from the suspect what happened. Teaching an
indication to other detector dogs is
a crucial part of their training, and
it should be a part of the training of
trailing dogs.
Teaching the Dog to Ignore Distractions
All phases of dog training involve
teaching the dog to perform behaviors under various degrees of
distraction. Narcotics dogs need
to work around food, pets, traffic,
etc., and the number of distractions that trailing dogs encounter
is endless. Trailing handlers rarely
have any control over what they
encounter outdoors on a trail. The
basic process for both is the same
Not extending the “nose time”
of the dog to at least the average
work period the dog will encounter
in the field will lead to a dog that
gives up or stops working after its
nose time has been exceeded, or,
if a narcotics dog, to a dog that
gives a “false” or non-productive
indication. Trailing dogs may start
following a contaminating trail.
One difference between narcotics dogs and trailing dogs is that the
narcotics dog spends most of his
time searching areas without scent
and a trailing dog spends most of
his time “in scent” while following
the residual scent of the traillayer.
Good trailing dogs become easy
to “read” when they are on the trail
because they are “in the zone” and
happy and relaxed doing a “scent
surfing” pattern that leads them
down the path of the trail. When
they get off the trail, they go into a
“oh no, I lost it” body language and
March 2016
Trainer’s Corner
may become hectic and agitated
as they try to search out the scent
again. The best ones learn to slow
down and search carefully for their
target scent if they
loose it.
derstand the idea of running blank
or “negative” rooms, areas and
vehicles to extend out the dogs’
nose time and to proof the dog
against giving an
indication based on
the handler’s body
language or a distracting or novel
odor that may be in
the area. They routinely run exercises
with clean containers similar to those
used to contain the
training drugs, with
gloves in the area
and anything else
they can think of
that might tempt
the dog into making
.
an error. For some
reason,
however,
tracking
trainers
and handlers don’t
understand this concept, although
most of the trailing trainers do.
The traditional tracking training
method just starts the dog on the
track and keeps on going without
specifically addressing what the
dog should do if there is no target scent to follow. Handlers and
trainers seem to assume that if the
scent stops, the dog will stop. Unfortunately, this is not always true.
Through the process of teaching
the initial reward, imprinting and
motivational exercises as well as
the addition of more difficult tracks,
training usually produces the expectation in the dog that the dog
has to move forward and search or
look for the trail, even if there isn’t a
track there. The dog not stopping
when the scent of the trail stops is
the trailing dog’s version of a “false”
alert. Sometimes trailing handlers
will call these “ghost trails” and are
totally at a loss as to why the dog
goes on. What is really happening
is that the dog feels obligated to
What is really
happening is
that the dog
feels obligated
to track when
the handler
moves forward
even if there is
nothing there
Part of extending
the search for trailing dogs is teaching
them to search from
areas where the trail
is not to where the
trail is. Exercises
where the dog is allowed to search areas without any target scent that lead
into the trail should
teach the dog to
pick up and follow
the trail from all
sorts of angles and
approaches.
The
biggest
difficulty
any trailing dog has
is the hanlder attached to the end
of the lead. Which way the handler
pulls, how hard the handler pulls, if
the handler and lead are lined up
with the trail direction, whether or
not the handler lets the dog proceed can have a profound effect
on how some dogs trail, especially breeds that are not hounds. So
picking up and following tracks
have to include all approach and
handling variables.
Part of picking up the trail training also has to include teaching to
dog to go “forward” on the trail in
the direction the tracklayer is moving. Determining track direction is
not something a dog is born with.
It has to be learned, but once
learned, the dog never seems to
forget it.
Extending the Search – Teaching
Negatives
Narcotics and other substance
detector dog handlers readily un-
track when the handler moves forward even if there is nothing there.
Teaching the dog what to do when
the scent is not present relieves the
psychological pressure to move
ahead on negatives and corrects
this problem. Doing “negatives” in
trailing can make profound differences in problems like ghost trails
and dogs overshooting corners
and not stopping.
The negatives I teach all my
trailing dog teams are a “negative
start,” or starting tracks in areas
where no target scent is present
and having the dog communicate
to the handler that no target scent
is present (Kevin Kocher’s “No
Scent Indication”), and carefully
constructed back tracks on trails
(walking back on the same outgoing trail and then turning off) that
teach the dog to stop going forward if they loose the scent.
Desensitizing the Dog
to the Handler
All narcotics dog handlers know
that their body language and
search pattern can negatively affect their dog’s performance. Training seeks to standardize the handler’s behavior and patterns and to
desensitize the dog to the handler’s
actions, making the dog “obedient
to odor” rather than to the handler.
The same process needs to take
place with trailing dog teams. Too
often the handler misreads the dog
and doesn’t let it go forward when
the team should, or urges the dog
forward when the team shouldn’t
be going forward. A good trailing
dog is not highly influenced by its
handler, and this is the advantage
of having a single purpose hound,
which is bred to hunt independent
of humans, and of a dog that is not
taught extensive control or other
functions which require the dog to
be attentive to the handler. Even if
Trainer’s Corner
the dog is a multi-tasker and obedience trained, handlers can use
harnesses and training routines
which tell the dog they are the
leader and free to move when trailing, and counteract the effects of
the dog’s attentiveness to the handler while trailing.
Working in
Different Environments
Trailing dog teams must spend a
tremendous amount of time trailing
under different environmental conditions. Every day they work, the
weather changes, affecting scent
deposition and detectability. Different terrains hold scent differently –
a thick grassy area will hold lots of
scent and smooth, dry, slick ice will
hold none. Pavement and urban
environments create very different
scent picture than woods and vegetated surfaces. Vehicle traffic will
sweep scent along, winds will blow
scent, thermals created by sun
heating will move scent - the list
of factors that trailing dog teams
need to deal with and handlers
need to be aware of are endless.
Only by practicing under all sorts
of conditions can a dog learn to
handle them and a handler know
whether or not his dog can detect
scent under those conditions. Besides the conditions of the day or
moment, the residual scent of the
trail is affected by all the conditions that existed during and after
the trail was laid. I’ve seen trails
“plowed” into the snowbank by
snow plows, moved downwind
with time by wind and thermal currents, and washed downstream by
run off. The scent is almost always
there, but it takes an experienced
handler to understand what may
have happened to it, and why the
dog is going where it is.
A Good Reference
This article is only a rough outline of what needs to be done to
teach trailing. Like any other detector dog training process, there are
lots of details and skills that need
to be learned. I urge anyone who
is interested in trailing to do some
research, as there are plenty of
books, seminars and good instructors out there that deal with trailing.
Trailing dog handlers looking for
a good reference on trailing should
pick up How to Train a Police
Bloodhound and Scent Discriminating Patrol Dog by Kevin and
Robin Kocher. The book is relatively inexpensive, concise, and gives
detailed descriptions of the basics
and components of trailing that
scent discriminating dog teams
need. There are other good books
on trailing by Tracy Bowling and
Jeff Schettler.
Above all, before tracking or trailing training, put some thought into
the process and try to imagine the
scent picture the dog is dealing
with. Properly trained, dogs have
no problem discriminating and following a target scent that is hours
old. Trailing training is detector dog
training and should follow a system
just like other detector training.
Deborah is a certified Master Trainer with the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWDA) and can
offer certifications though
IPWDA for cadaver detection, wilderness air scent
search, evidence or article
search, tracking, trailing,
and water search. She is a
Level II certified trainer with
the United States Police Canine Association.
Deborah is also a Maine
Criminal Justice Academy
(MCJA) certified K-9 trainer
and can offer credentialing
through the MCJA if the dog
handler is a MCJA certified
law enforcement officer.
Maine K-9 Services is located in Amherst, Maine
and has land and water available in the immediate area
for training working dogs.
http://www.mainek9services.com/
March 2016
Trainer’s Corner
I
THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL TRAINING
CHOOSING THE RIGHT DOG
n 1965 the use of dogs in law
enforcement was just emerging
when I began my career in canine. At that time, depending upon
the agency, their application was
often relegated to searching buildings in urban areas or tracking in
rural environments. There were
no drug dogs, explosive, narcotic
detection or arson dogs or dogs
used by game wardens. Locating
evidence or a lost child was, to
say the least, a rarity. All that has
changed over these past fifty years
as has the increased requirement
to find dogs that have the ability to
perform these specialized and demanding tasks.
Thousands of years have gone
into developing individual breeds
and breed traits to perform specific tasks. There is a reason for
this specificity in breed traits and
it was recognized by mankind as
his need for a working partner developed. First perhaps simply to
warn him of potential danger and
later as civilization evolved to assist
him in hunting and perhaps even
as companionship. Whatever it
was that sparked that partnership,
man came to understand that certain breed traits would serve their
needs and purposes better than
others and thus began the long
development of individual traits
to serve individual requirements.
We have seen the development of
Don Sterling
sight dogs verses scent dogs verses tracking dogs as well as guard
dogs, herding dogs and a host of
other specialized skills and traits.
Since early man was wise
enough to recognize that one individual dog was not as proficient at
a given task as another they selectively bred the best dogs at whatever task that was required and
removed the less proficient from
propagating. Even as far back as
early Egyptian times and probably before, men were selectively
breeding dogs. An interesting fact
has been discovered in the naming
of these dogs of old. I discovered
an insight into the knowledge and
practical understanding of canine
behavior in the following archaeological history. “We even know
many ancient Egyptian dogs’
names from leather collars and reliefs. They included names such as
Brave One, Reliable, Good Herds-
man, North Wind, Antelope and
even “Useless”. The naming of a
dog “useless” is an example of the
knowledge even these people of
so long ago recognized that despite their efforts in breeding and
training working dogs that there
were some that, although not destroyed, could not be trained adequately. Hence, the point of my
article.
We have come a long way in
understanding canine ability, behavior and training techniques.
However, there is a difference between what the ancients knew
and practiced and what we know
today. Early development of working canines required that working
dogs worked and if they didn’t
there was little accommodation to
feed and house a non-productive
animal, thus little time or effort was
wasted on any dog that could not
perform the required task. Modern
training, in some circles, seems to
have strayed somewhat from that
dictate. Over the past fifty years I
have worked with thousands of canine teams and observed some of
the very best. Unfortunately I have
also observed and sometimes
worked with dogs that, to varying degrees, and despite the best
of efforts are unsuitable for their
specific required task yet they remained in service.
Since Early development of working canines required that working
dogs worked and if they didn’t there was little accommodation to
feed and house a non-productive animal…
Trainer’s Corner
The training of a police service
dog can generally be divided into
two categories, obedience and all
other phases of their work requirements. It is obvious simply by the
nature of the word “obedience”
which is defined as follows; “submitting to somebody’s authority”
that obedience is not a positively
motivated exercise as few thinking animals will willing submit to
the demands of a superior that are
contrary to their own desires. Thus
the training of obedience requires
a degree of negative motivation to
achieve the necessary behavior to
control the actions and behavior
of a working subordinate. The remaining phases of a working police service dog are best achieved
through positive motivation which,
under the best of circumstances,
should be initiated by the dog’s
own instinctive desire to do the
task he has been trained to perform by his/her handler.
A dog that does not inherently
find scent work interesting will be
far more difficult to train and motivate than a dog that instinctively wishes to do
so. Our job as trainers
is to simply teach the
dog how to apply his
natural instincts in a
way that benefits our
needs. A dogs’ natural ability to use his
olfactory ability far
exceeds ours or we
would not have any
need for him yet
I have watched
A dog that does not
inherently find scent
work interesting will
be far more difficult
to train and motivate
than a dog that
instinctively wishes
to do so.
handlers attempt to do the job the
dog is supposed to be trained for.
The handler’s job is to direct and
observe the dog, not search for
him. The man who loves carpentry
will build a better house than a man
who does not. Likewise, the dog
that loves his task will work better
than a dog that does not.
All dogs are capable of tracking,
finding specific odors or apprehending game. All we have to is
to teach the dog that he is to track
a human, not a rabbit. That he is
to detect the scent of narcotics or
explosives (for example) rather
than the odor of a deer. That he is
to capture a human rather than an
antelope. All of the requirements
of a police dog are based upon
these natural instincts, motivation
and ability of a dog. The greater
the desire on the part of the dog to
do those things that nature has designed him to do the easier it is for
us to train him. Now POSITIVE MOTIVATION gets the best results but
it is difficult to positively motivate a
dog that has no interest in the task
required of it.
We all work with other people
and we all know that some of the
people we work with are more
highly motivated than others. If we
must rely upon constant provocation to motivate a co-worker to
perform his/her job we are, more
often than not, disappointed by
the results. A “self motivated” individual will often succeed where
others will likely fail. Thus, the key
to having a good working dog is
to find a dog that likes to perform
the task we require him. Our job is
simply to teach him what that task
is.
Aside from the inherit motivation
of any particular dog there is also
the consideration of the dog’s ability. I worked three dogs during
my twenty years in canine. The
first and third dogs were “natural” trackers. They both had an
inherit natural ability and desire to track. My second dog,
although he was a willing
worker, simply did not
have the same ability as
the other two. When
he located someone hiding in a
March 2016
Trainer’s Corner
building he would stop breathing
and “listen” because he did not
“trust his nose”. Therein lies the difference in ability. Any dog may wish
to do a particular task but simply
may not have the ability to do so.
I trained five explosive detection
dogs for my private business. One
learned to identify target odor in
about twenty minutes but any distraction would stop her from working her so I could not use her. Another took several weeks to attain
a degree of reliability and he was
a dedicated dog and worked hard
at the task but it simply did not
“click” until he came to understand
that he had to sit upon detection.
All of the dogs we worked did so
in their own specific way. One was
a mali who worked fast, another a
lab who worked in a steady reliable
manner, the third was a spring-
er who worked into, then ten feet
beyond and then back to the target, and the last was a flat coated
retriever who was the “dumb” one
who took so long to understand
the sit response. Each of these
dogs displayed the desire to do
the work but each had their own
individual traits but it was their desire and ability to do the work that
made them successful.
It is a difficult decision to fail a
dog once he has begun training
and it becomes even more difficult
as training progresses as more and
more time and effort is invested
into the dog, but I maintain that it
is far better to fail a dog that does
not show an early eagerness to
learn the task required of him than
to continue investing that time and
effort. That is not to say that a dog
with two weeks training should
be as proficient as a dog with
two months training, but an early
evaluation of the dogs’ willingness
and ability to learn the task required of him should be evaluated
as soon as it is possible to make
that evaluation and no amount to
“sentiment, ego or stubbornness”
should a deter a trainer from failing
a dog. There is no greater pleasure
or satisfaction than to work with a
dog that loves his work.
Please always remember, especially in today’s environment,
somebody out there may be trying
to kill you and tonight might be the
night you meet that person. Stay
safe and also remember, routine
kills.
Don started working with
dogs in 1963 with the Guide
Dog Foundation in Smithtown, and joined the Suffolk
County Police Department in
1965. In 1966 he became one
of the original officers in the
Department’s newly formed
K-9 unit. After a twenty-year
career as a police canine officer, Don retired, and has
been a fixture at Quail Run
ever since.
Don continues to remain
active in training, assisting
police departments throughout the world with his articles
and personal training seminars.
It is a difficult decision to fail a dog once he has begun training…
The USPCA National
Training Seminar
Anniston, Alabama
February 8-11, 2016
The trainers during the week were:
• Ben Shaffer (USMC K-9: Iraq & Afghanistan;
graduate Israeli Special Forces Working Dog
Trainer’s Course; U.S. State Department K-9
Trainer)
• Jason Brodt – USPCA National President * Saint
Paul, MN. K-9 Unit Head Trainer
USPCA National Training
Seminar Agenda
Day 1:
0730-0800 Registration and Group Assignment.
0800-0830Welcome/Introductions
• Josh Stenseth – USPCA National Vice-President
Northwest * Trainer, Saint Croix County, WI. K-9
0830-1200Classroom
• Melinda Ruopp – Marshalltown, Iowa Police K-9
Trainer and USPCA National Secretary.
1200-1300Lunch
• Pat Murphy – Trainer St. Paul, MN. Police K-9.
• Brent Spivy – Trainer, Franklin, TN. K-9.
• Rob Vetsch – Trainer St. Paul, MN. Police K-9.
• Brady Harrison – Trainer St. Paul, MN. Police K-9.
• Dave Bessason – Trainer – Winnipeg Police Service.
A thank you to all the trainers, helpers, handlers
and host for making this training seminar a
success. The USPCA looks forward to providing
more training for the membership in the future
annually. Any Region which wishes to host future training seminars is welcome to contact our
Director or President.
For those who did not attend, we are providing
the agenda as to what training was available.
A
1300-1700 Breakout Stations/Scenarios (Please
have Vet. muzzle ready for K9)
Group 1: Detector Dog
Group 2: Tracking
Group 3: Swat Integration
Group 4: Environmental Bite Work
1700-1730Break
1730 – 2000 Group Breakout Stations/Scenarios
Continue.
Group 2: Tracking
Note: Each team receives 6.5 hrs field training and
3.5 hrs classroom (total 10 hrs).
March 2016
USPCA National Training Seminar • Anniston, Alabama • February 8-11, 2016
Day 2:
Group 1: Tracking
1700-1730Break
1730 – 2000 Behavior Shaping/Problem Solving and
Scenarios.
1200-1300 Lunch
Note-Each team receives 8hrs field training and can
participate in nighttime training/scenarios (2.5hrs).
Total time 10.5 hrs.
1300-1700 Breakout Stations/Scenarios Continue
Day 4:
Group 1: Tracking
1700-1730Break
1730 – 2000 Behavior Shaping/Problem Solving and
Scenarios.
Note-Each team receives 8hrs field training and can
participate in nighttime training/scenarios (2.5hrs).
Total time 10.5 hrs.
Day 3:
Group 4: Tracking
1200-1300Lunch
1300-1700 Breakout Stations/Scenarios
Group 4: Tracking
Group 3: Tracking
1200-1300Lunch
1300-1700 Breakout Stations/Scenarios
Group 3: Tracking
1700–1800Break
1800
ALL participants are invited to catered
hospitality by Cooter Brown’s Rib
Shack. This will be free for all participants.
Note-Each team receives 8hrs field training. Total
time 8 hrs.
Total training time of four day seminar = 39hrs
March 2016
END
WATCH
of
K9 Blaze
December 2015 – Officer Benn Colecchia
NYPD – Region 7
K9 Ogar
January 19, 2016 –
Smith Co. Constables
Office, TX. K9 Ogar
was shot and killed
while attempting an
apprehension of a
subject who was in a
stolen automobile.
K9 Kobus
January 23, 2016 –
Omaha Police Department, NE. K9 Kobus
was shot and killed
while attempting to
apprehend a subject
who had barricaded
himself inside of his
home.
K9 Jag
January 20, 2016 –
Twin Rivers Unified
School District Police, CA. K9 Jag was
struck by a vehicle.
K9 Jojo
January 6, 2016 –
San Bernardino Co.
Sheriff ’s Office, CA.
K9 Jojo died after
choking on an object
that became accidentally lodged in his
throat while he and
his handler were conducting a search of a
warehouse. K9 Jojo’s
partner’s in an attempt to dislodge the
object had his right
pinky finger amputated while trying to
save K9 Jojo’s life.
K9 Krijer
January 11, 2016 –
Norfolk Police Department, VA. K9
Krijger was shot and
killed by an armed
subject following
a violent barricade
situation.
K9 Riki
July 1, 2015 - Sgt. Brison was matched up with Riki at Global Training Academy in
San Antonio, TX, February of 2009. They have competed & participated in USPCA
events, garnering Top Dog honors and narc certifications. God’s speed old friend.
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March 2016
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March 2016
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USPCA Lifeline Russ Hess USPCA Lifetime Achievement Award

Transcription

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