K9 Branco honored
Canine Deputy Branco was honored for his dedication and service at a memorial on Monday at the Washington County Sheriff
Canine Deputy Branco was honored for his dedication and service at a memorial on Monday at the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
Branco,an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois,died after stomach surgery on June 20. He was partnered with Deputy Judy Randall for the past six years and specialized in drug interdiction and officer assistance. He worked on patrol with Randall as the narcotics K-9 unit.
Undersheriff Bart Bailey presented Deputy Randall with a plaque in honor of Branco at the service.
“I’m a tough cowgirl, but Branco took a little part of me,”Randall said,holding back tears as she spoke at the service.
Several friends, relatives, associates and other officers shared experiences of how Branco and Randall had touched their lives both on and off the job.
“I appreciate the job Branco did for us,”said Rob Tersigni,chief deputy of patrol. “He’ll be missed.”
Six years ago, Deputy Randall was a little hesitant when the sheriff approached her about getting a dog. She had never owned a dog before and the thought of working with a dog seemed a little strange.
Randall, along with her youngest daughter, drove to Texas to pick out the perfect dog for her. Randall went through 100 dogs before the kennel worker brought out Branco.
“There was an instant connection,”Randall said.
She knew that Branco was the one she would be working,training and living with 24-7.
It didn’t take long for Randall to see how much of an asset Branco would be to her, both professionally and personally.
When Randall and Branco were in training together at the police academy,trainers were amazed at Branco’s ability to learn quickly and his willingness to work hard. One trainer called him the “’Ferrari’of the K-9 dogs.”
“I was so totally amazed and so impressed about what (the dogs) did,”Randall said.
Randall and Branco performed thousands of community services by fighting crime and drugs,as well as visiting schools,businesses,churches and other organizations.
“We’ve met a lot of good friends over the last six years,”Randall said.
On one occasion,Branco and Judy were asked to visit the mentally challenged children at Enterprise High School. While Randall was a little nervous about how Branco would do with the teens, he showed that he was kind as well as hard-working.
“Branco sensed immediately that they were somebody special,”Randall said.
Branco lay on the floor and allowed the teens to pet and pull at him for an hour,without a single growl or snap.
“I could really trust him around children,”Randall said.
But Branco also knew when to be a police dog.
Branco was an aggressive indicator when he searched for drugs. He would bite, scratch or bite where he thought the drugs were located. Branco had such a great work ethic,he would search freestyle better than an officer directed search, Randall said.
He also served as a sentry and would let Randall know if anyone was within several feet of the truck when they were out on patrol. Branco was known for protecting his partner by warning a drunk man that entered the Randall’s home and even an officer trying to play a trick on Randall. He made sure Randall was always safe.
He not only protected Randall,but he was also a wonderful drug sniffing dog.
There were numerous occasions when Branco found drugs hidden in vehicles,apartments,the jail and even the court.
During their career together, Randall and Branco were asked to work with the drug court as trackers. They would stop into the homes of drug court clients to ensure they were staying clean.
“It was one of the greatest experiences I could’ve ever been able to have,”Randall said.
Together,Randall and Branco have worked with every law enforcement agency in Washington County and even some in Iron, Utah and Mohave, Ariz.,counties.
“Every day we would leave the house and I’d say ‘Let’s go get the bad guys’and he would get excited and circle around,”Randall said. “We had the highest stats overall in the department last month. It’s because we just love the job.”
“He was part of my family,”Randall said.
As Tersigni put it, Branco will be missed.
The staff at the Hurricane Valley Journal would like to extend their condolences to Deputy Randall and her family. We would like to thank Branco and Randall for all their hard work and service to the citizens of this community.
Follow the nose, it always knows
At first glance, Noeska looks like just another dog. She pants, she wags her tail and she offers doggie kisses to her handler.
But when sheriff’s deputy Rick Crown snaps on the leather leash and says “zitz”, Noeska is no longer just another dog. She’s a working member of a law enforcement team.
Noeska is Dawson County’s K-9 officer, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois who is trained to sniff out narcotics or track down a hiding criminal or lost child.
Crown accepted Noeska as his partner in March 2008, completing his training and certification last month.
“I’ve always wanted to work with a drug dog,” said Crown, who has spent the last 2 years of his seven-year law enforcement career in Dawson County. “We’re both adrenaline junkies so it works out pretty well.”
This is not Noeska’s first assignment. She had two handlers in Dawson County prior to Crown.
“I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time,” Crown said. “It’s like a constant game of hide and seek and we usually win.”
Since Noeska is a veteran in this line of work, it was Crown who required the five-week training course at the Nebraska State Patrol Academy.
That’s where he learned the German voice commands, the dog’s way of indicating a find and the finer points of handling a highly-trained animal.
“We’re still getting used to each other,” he said.
Noeska is primarily used for locating narcotics.
For example, Crown said if an officer suspects drug activity during a routine traffic stop and the person in question denies consent for the officer to do a search, the K-9 unit can be called.
“We’re on call 24/7,” Crown said.
A majority of the time, Noeska will sniff out drugs if they’re present.
Crown said during an exercise at the academy, Noeska found 10 pounds of marijuana that was vacuum sealed and wrapped in 10 different trash bags, then covered in mustard leaves and coffee grounds.
When she makes a find, she sits down at the site. That’s a passive indicator, Crown said.
Other dogs are trained in aggressive indicators such as digging and clawing to retrieve the substance.
Crown said Noeska and other narcotics dogs can smell drugs despite the variety of ways that dealers attempt to mask the odors.
The power of a canine’s nose is so strong, it can differentiate between many scents in close proximity.
Crown used pizza as an example.
“When we walk into a room where someone has just taken a pizza out of the oven, we smell pizza,” he said. “A dog can smell the pepperoni, the cheese, the crust, all of the individual ingredients.”
That’s why K-9 officers are not fooled by the attempts to throw off their noses, he said.
In just the few months the two have worked together, Noeska and Crown have made 19 narcotics arrests including one bust for 250 pounds of marijuana found during a search in Cozad.
“I love the thrill of the hunt,” Crown said. “I’m pretty sure she does too.”
The majority of Noeska’s finds have been marijuana or methamphetamine but Crown said the dog uncovered several doses of LSD in December.
“She found the LSD because of some marijuana,” he said, “but that’s a big find.”
While Noeska’s strength is drug work, the dog is also trained to uncover evidence as small as a lithium battery and track on scent.
“If we have a scent and a last known direction of someone, she can track them down,” Crown said.
In the past, Noeska was used for apprehension of criminals as well but has been retired from that duty due to her age.
“I’m sure there are other things she knows how to do,” Crown said. “She’s still teaching me.”
Crown and Noeska work 12-hour shifts together, rotating every two weeks.
Crown said the dog is by his side every minute, unless he’s required to be in a courtroom or doing office work for extended periods.
“Our job never ends,” Crown said, explaining that one of the most difficult aspects of being a K-9 handler is time management. “Even when we’re not on the clock there’s still feeding and training and caring for the dog.”
Noeska definitely knows the difference between work and home.
When the back door opens to the white Dawson County Trailblazer, Noeska knows she’s on duty.
“She always gets excited to go to work,” Crown said. “You can’t beat a partner who’s always happy.”
When Noeska is at home with Crown, his wife Alisa and daughters Mady and Rebecca, she’s little more than a family pet who loves to play and sleep.
“She likes playing fetch a lot but she gets pretty possessive of her toys,” Crown said.
And sometimes, even when she is supposed to be working, Crown said Noeska just wants to be a dog.
“I can’t blame her for that,” he said.
Balancing work, family and outside interests has been a challenge for Crown already but he says he never regrets taking on the huge responsibility of having Noeska as his partner.
“I’ll probably have her until she is no longer able to work,” Crown said. “And hopefully then I’ll get another dog.”
I am clearly in the wrong line of work…..
Schenectady police officer’s pay tops in city history
With his overtime and other earnings, Johnson grossed $168,921 in 2008, which is nearly triple his base pay of $57,478. The patrolman, who is known for working multiple 16-hour shifts each week, replaced Sgt. Arthur Zampella as the city’s top-earning employee and is now considered the highest-earning police officer in city history.
“To make that much money, you’re pretty much living here,” Police Chief Mark Chaires said of the officer’s overtime earnings.
Johnson’s earnings place him above the previous record set by Police Chief Greg Kaczmarek in 2002. With all of his added earnings included, the former chief grossed $158,981 during his last year in office.
But Johnson isn’t the only cop listed among the city’s top-grossing employees in 2008. Excluding Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett, 18 of the 20 top-grossing employees in Schenectady are members of the police force, according to a list released by the city on Friday.
In total, 63 city employees grossed more than $100,000 last year, with all but 11 of these workers falling under the Police Department’s budget. Only Bennett, Chaires and Fire Chief Robert Farstad have base salaries that exceed $100,000.
Overtime was largely to blame for the inflated police earnings. Chaires said the department was understaffed throughout much of 2008, meaning the overtime registered by the top earners was necessary and would have inevitably gone to someone else on the force anyway.
The department was short five officers all last year while officials from the state Attorney General’s Office investigated a claim the officers used excessive force during a drunken driving arrest. All five officers were cleared of all wrongdoing last year but remain off duty pending an internal investigation.
In addition, two other officers were suspended for most of 2008, and two were overseas with the National Guard. Four others were on long-term sick leave and 15 new officers hadn’t completed their training.
As a result, the department was short 27 officers from the 166 officers that it needs to function optimally. Chairs said the shortage of staffing was coupled with a particularly busy year in the city.
“We’re a busy city,” he said. “It’s very important that we have all hands on deck.”
Chaires said the outlook for this year might not be much better. He said the department could see as many as 10 retirements this year, meaning overtime could spike again.
Officers’ salaries were also augmented by retroactive pay raises in accordance with an arbitrator’s September ruling. Officers received a 4 percent raise, retroactive to 2006 and 2007.
In the case of Johnson, the retroactive pay raises tacked an additional $14,626 onto his normal salary.
“In addition to all of these absences and all of these circumstances that have created the need for overtime shifts to keep our city safe, there is still the inherent fundamental flaws in the labor contract,” Mayor Brian Stratton said.
Both Chaires and Stratton said there is a need to reduce the levels of police overtime. Chaires said he’s expecting to issue a policy that will reduce discretionary overtime in the department.
“That’s where we think we can exercise more control,” he said.
They also expressed concern over the effect working long hours of overtime might have on officers. Chaires said Johnson would sometimes work three or four 16-hour shifts in a week.
“I don’t think it’s healthy physically,” he said.
Stratton suggested capping overtime for officers once it reaches 50 percent of their regular salary. But he said such a proposal would never be accepted by Schenectady’s Police Benevolent Association.
“Obviously, public safety is our top priority, but we also have a responsibility to make sure we manage our dollars wisely,” he said.
Lt. Robert Hamilton, the police union’s president, could not be reached for comment on Friday. Hamilton ranked 15th on the list with gross earnings of $129,908, or nearly twice his annual salary.
Despite the high levels of overtime, the Police Department appears to be within its budget for the fourth consecutive year. Stratton said some of the overtime costs were covered through funding from the state’s Operation IMPACT and STOP-DWI grants.
Outside of the Police Department, the city’s top-earning employee was Patrick Tremante, a sewer maintenance supervisor with the Department of Public Works. Stratton said Tremante — a longtime city worker whose $141,296 gross pay is ranked eighth overall — has a lot of added earnings built into his job detail.
“We’re going to try and restructure that [when Tremante retires], just as we did with the police chief’s job,” he said.
Chief Robert Farstad was the Schenectady Fire Department’s top-grossing employee in 2008 but was ranked 30th among all city workers. He earned a base pay of $104,000 but grossed $112,802.
Stratton didn’t even make the top 50. The $97,009 he earned last year ranked 74th among all city employees.
Top 10 salaries in 2008
Name, Job title, Base Salary, Gross
* Dwayne Johnson, Police officer, $57,478, $168,921.98
* Brian Kilcullen, Asst. police chief, $94,500, $159,957.91
* Thomas Delaney, Police investigator, $58,341, $153,975.17
* Thomas Adach, Police investigator, $58,341, $148,987.05
* Robert Kutil, Police investigator, $58,341, $147,461.50
* Keith Schaffer, Police investigator, $58,341, $142,713.97
* Matt Hoy, Police sergeant, $63,225, $142,377.51
* Patrick Tremante, Sewer maintenance supervisor, $66,308, $141,296.02
* Luciano Savoia, Police sergeant, $63,225, $135,395.37
* John Ericson, Police investigator, $58,341, $134,644.37
SOURCE: CITY OF SCHENECTADY
Sheriff Penrod steps down today
After 14 years of holding the reins of one of the largest departments in the country, Sheriff Gary Penrod today hands them over.The 60-year-old rancher spent his last three days in office visiting the department’s two dozen substations, shaking hands and exchanging goodbyes with everyone from janitors to captains to inmates.
After a long, full career in San Bernardino County, Penrod is retiring in the middle of his last four-year term. Assistant Sheriff Rod Hoops will now command the 3,652 member department.
Penrod, a 37-year veteran, was first elected to the post in 1994. He went up against five other candidates and won by a landslide – 99,247 votes, to be exact.
And nobody has run against him since then.During his tenure, Penrod implemented a plethora of programs and task forces and waded through budget crunches without ever resorting to layoffs. The sheriff earned the trust and respect of deputies, county officials and community members alike.
“He has done a very good job of giving his staff the ability to lead and run the department while he is thinking about ways to improve and make things happen and develop relationships,” said Undersheriff Rich Beemer. “From the crook in the jail to the janitor walking down the hall to the deputy on the street, he is the same guy to everybody.”
Penrod joined the department in 1971 and worked his first stint as a deputy at the Big Bear station. He worked his way up the ranks to deputy chief before throwing his hat in for the top slot when former Sheriff Richard Williams stepped down.The popular sheriff has been lauded over the years for creating two specialized gang teams and expanding narcotics teams such as the Marijuana Eradication Team and the Methaphetamine Lab Task Force.
“He’s the kind of guy that’s not afraid to try different stuff,” said sheriff’s Executive Officer John Fogerty. “He sits around and thinks these things up. This guy is very innovative, he is an absolute leader.”
Sheriff’s officials said he took a genuine interest in each and every employee and strove to hold events that brought the department together.
He brought back the Sheriff’s Rodeo after a 25-year hiatus and regularly organized river days, horseback riding activities and barbeques that doubled as charity fundraisers.
“As big as we are, we still try to stay connected as a family,” Penrod said. “That’s one of the keys to keeping a department successful.”
On the invitations for his retirement bash, Penrod asked that no one buy him gifts or plaques but instead make a donation to his favorite organization, Concerns for Police Survivors.
Losing four deputies in the line of duty while at the helm of the department was the hardest part of the job, Penrod said.
But he also struggled with overcrowded jails, budget crunches and a growing region.
The sheriff took on the job during a tough economic period but found ways to make cuts without letting any employees go. The department’s budget, which was $141 million when Penrod took over, now exceeds $440 million.
“I think Gary has been a leader through some very good times, through some tough times and through all of that, he’s been a very ethical sheriff,” said District Attorney Michael A. Ramos.
Although Penrod’s term doesn’t expire until December 2010, he said he decided to step down for financial and medical reasons. The financial aspect is tied to his retirement benefits.
Retirement has loomed in his mind for more than a year but he wanted to fill out at least half of his term.
The Board of Supervisors recently appointed Hoops, under the sheriff’s recommendation, to serve the remainder of Penrod’s term. Hoops is expected to run as an incumbent in 2010.
Penrod said he is going to miss his employees the most.
“It’s just been a great department, the best in the world. Everybody really works hard,” he said.
And his advice for Hoops as he hands over the reigns?
“Get involved in things inside the department and outside,” Penrod said. “You’ve gotta get a happy mix of being some of the politician and some of the guy getting down to business.”
Great job, kids!
“Ringo” and his human partner, Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Coley, have been fighting crime together for almost 10 years.
But for Coley, “Ringo” is much more than an assistant.
Deputy Rick Coley and K9 Ringo, Anderson County
“When you get these dogs you develop a bond. These dogs go to work with us every day, they ride in the car with us just like you would a human partner. You get very attached,” Coley said.
So when he switched from the Clinton Police Department to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, he wanted to bring “Ringo” with him.
“We’ve been together a long time. He’s part of my family,” Coley said.
That meant finding $3,000 to pay for him.
One day while Coley and “Ringo” were patrolling Anderson County High School, a few students came to the rescue.
“These kids over the years have come to know me and him. Some of the kids came and said, ‘Hey, want to help’,” Coley said.
They came up with a creative idea.
If students could raise $1500, the K-9 unit would do a demonstration, ending with their principal in a bite suit.
“The kids know the officers, the kids know the dogs. The Sheriff’s Office and the Clinton City Police Department have been excellent resources for us. We do everything we can on this end to keep that relationship going,” said Anderson County High School’s Principal Greg Deal.
Now the Sheriff’s Office is one K-9 stronger.
“The dog saves us a lot of man errors and money,” said Anderson County Sheriff Paul White.
And Coley still gets a little choked up when he thinks of what the students did.
“These kids are keeping me together with my partner,” he said.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office now has 3 officers on it’s K-9 unit.
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