Manteca’s K-9 superheroes
With the new season of American Idol underway, viewers will once again rush to their televisions each week to see who can sing and who can’t. Who’s going to Hollywood and who’s packing it up and going home. While I am somewhat interested in seeing how the program progresses each week, I am much more interested in seeing what Manteca’s K-9 crime fighters are up to.
Stories of Manteca police dogs aiding in arrests have been showing up in the paper so much so lately that I just had to find out a little more information about where these K-9 superheroes came from. I must say, what I found out was pretty “doggone” exciting.
The Manteca Police Department Canine Unit has 6 patrol dogs who are trained in Obedience, Agility, Search, Protection and Tracking. With the help of their committed handlers, these canine cops can find a lost person, search a building or open area for a hidden suspect and hold them at bay. Protect their handler and citizens, locate a lost item and control a crowd. To say the least, these doggie officers are incredible. Even their names (Spike, Rocky, Dollar, Blade, Kees, Iwan and Hawkeye) let you know that they mean serious business.
I’ve often seen the robust police shepherds hanging out of the back seat window of police cars as their handlers patrol the city and while I’ve always thought they were beautiful, I had no idea just how vital they can be to keeping a community safe.
Two of the K-9 officers in particular, “Blade” and “Spike” caught my attention recently as they’ve been making headlines for busting the bad guys. In the last few weeks the papers have said:
• “Manteca Police canine “Blade” put the bite on two of three residential burglars.”
• “Spike” left his mark on the suspect, bighting him on the right shoulder and in the right arm pit.”
• “The man resisted … and police dog “Blade” took him down.”
Way to go Blade and Spike!
Call me crazy, but it doesn’t get any more exciting than that. Knowing that “Blade,” “Spike,” their handlers and the rest of the K-9 unit are busy fighting crime every day in our city to keep it safe is way better than what Simon, Paula, Randy and the new judge Kara might have to say. And while American Idol is a pretty cool show to watch, I can’t wait to see what happens next right with our furry superheroes.
So bad guys beware! Manteca’s canine crew may soon be taking a crime-bite out of you.
New K-9 in Elk County
Elk County has a new tool – and friend – to help fight drugs in Elk County, find fleeing suspects and search for missing people.
St. Marys Police Department Patrolman Mike Shaffer became the department’s new K-9 officer in December.
Copper, who was purchased through a grant from the Elk County District
Attorney’s office, has been trained to find narcotics, search for
missing people and protect Shaffer, other officers and anyone else who
would need protecting.
Kudro, the department’s former K-9, retired last year due to his age. He first came to the department in 2001.
A dog’s senses are 240 times better than a person’s for detecting
narcotics or humans, but after eight to 10 years, those senses aren’t
as sharp, Shaffer said.
Two-year-old Copper lives with Shaffer.
Although Kudro was often taken into schools where the children could
pet and hug him, that will not be the case with Copper since he has the
additional training of protecting Shaffer.
Shaffer said the
department felt it was necessary to get a dog with extra training
because while working with the dog, Shaffer is not quite as aware of
his surroundings as he would be if he wasn’t working with the dog.
Shaffer has been with the St. Marys police since June 2007 and before that worked for the Ridgway Police Department.
The chief of police had approached a couple of officers before asking
Shaffer if he would like to be the K-9 officer. Shaffer expressed an
interest and began researching what that would involve.
Most importantly, the officer must like to work with dogs and not be afraid of them, Shaffer said.
Shaffer must work with Copper regularly to keep his training skills
sharp. Shaffer works with Copper one to three hours a day on narcotics
detection.
Copper recently practiced tracking a person fleeing and
did very well, Shaffer said. The “suspect” was loud and verbal and
Shaffer let Copper lose. He did better than expected despite it being
cold and snowy outside, Shaffer siad.
Generally K-9 dogs are about 2 when they go to work. They must first go through a year and a half of training, Shaffer said.
In addition to Copper being trained, Shaffer also needed to be trained.
He spent two weeks in New York with the handler who taught Copper.
Shaffer had to learn the basic comands and how to get Copper to react.
It was also important for a bond to form between Shaffer and Copper
before he brought him back. Copper stayed with Shaffer while Shaffer
was in New York.
“That’s a huge part of it. Especially for
protection so that the dog will protect the officer if needed even
without a command,” Shaffer said.
Luckily, former dog trainer Jim
Higgins has offered to work with Shaffer and Copper. He’s also willing
to be a decoy when needed, Shaffer said.
Now that Copper is home,
he is already following Shaffer through the station. Copper has already
“adopted” the station as his place, he said.
“It was easier than I expected to get where we are now. I attribute it to the dog’s attitude; he’s very calm,” Shaffer said.
Last week was Copper’s first experience working the night shift. He
seemed to adjust well, Shaffer said. Copper works the same shift as
Shaffer.
Copper has been used by the U.S. Forest Service and
found evidence of what the service had suspected was going on, Shaffer
said.
Sometimes all it takes is the presence of a dog to make
suspects more cooperative. Copper is considered a police department
tool, but also a full officer, Shaffer said. Copper is permitted to be
anywhere an officer can go including into a person’s home during a
domestic situation.
He also had the chance to search a car for
narcotics. Nothing was found, but the attitude of the people in the car
definitely changed when they saw the dog was being used, Shaffer said.
When Copper is looking for drugs he thinks he’s looking for a toy
because once he finds the drugs, Shaffer will give him a toy and they
will spend a few moments playing.
He has been used by the federal
prison near Bradford and will be used at the Elk County Jail. All of
the high schools in the county have contacted Shaffer, too, to have the
dog go through the schools.
The dog was bought for $8,000 by the
Elk County District Attorney’s Office with forfeiture money. That money
is usually given to law enforcement agencies, but this year the
agencies all agreed Copper would be a good investment for the county.
He is available for use by all the agencies.
Trooper Receives Ace Award
MANSFIELD — Trooper Ryan D. Randall of the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Mansfield Post was honored with the Ace Award at ceremonies Jan. 17 at the Ohio Highway Patrol Academy.
It’s the second time he has received the award that recognizes excellence in auto larceny enforcement. Randall recovered five stolen vehicles worth $28,400 and apprehended five suspects in connection with the thefts.
Randall joined the Patrol in March 2001 as a member of the 137th Academy class. He received his commission that September and was assigned to Fremont. In 2002 he transferred to Mansfield and earned his first Ace Award of his career. He is this year’s Mansfield Post Trooper of the Year.
He lives in Shelby with his wife and their three children.
I am woman hear me roar
WSB-TV
Tanisha Cross never thought the Taser stun gun she received for Christmas would come in handy so soon.
Cross said she was headed to Wal-Mart in Lithonia with her mother when she noticed a DeKalb County police officer in distress.
“I just told my mom pull over, … let’s try to help,” said Cross.
The 20-year-old mother, who received the taser as a gift from her husband, said she kept it in a diaper bag.
Cross said while others gathered to watch, she sprung into action.
“I went straight for my kid’s diaper bag and I got it and asked it if he [officer] wanted me to do it and he said, ‘Yea,’” said Cross.
Cross said the officer had a hard time defending himself because the attacker had taken the officer’s radio and managed to rub pepper spray in the officer’s face and eyes.
Jolting the attacker, Cross’ timing couldn’t have been better. Cross said she tasered the suspect in his arms and legs.
Cross said she stunned the attacker to where the officer regained his composure and fought back until a security guard came to their aid.
“He’s brave,” she said. “He did his best to keep him from his gun. He handled the situation very well. I was just glad I could help him,” said Cross.
Cross doesn’t consider herself a hero.
“I’m just a bystander trying to help do the right thing,” said Cross.
NYPD checks recruits MySpace and Facebook pages
NY Post
It’s a sign of the times.
The NYPD is requiring police recruits who have MySpace or Facebook pages to watch as an investigator sifts through their most private postings, The Post has learned.
The measure is designed to weed out would-be cops who litter their Web sites with violent or explicit imagery, racist rants and any other material deemed objectionable, a law-enforcement source said.
Applicants Processing Division officers are demanding any recruit with an account log on to their pages, even if those pages are private and not accessible to the public, the source said.
Without the applicant logging on, only a subpoena could get the NYPD that much access to the private Web pages.
The policy has successfully alerted the department to some decidedly unsavory would-be cops – including one whose pages included a picture of himself jokingly pointing a gun at his buddy.
“He said it was just his friend, but at that point the interviewer thought it best that he not join the New York City Police Department,” noted the source.
The online snooping goes well beyond the previously announced policy of Googling would-be cops and visiting them online in the publicly accessible pages of social-networking sites.
It makes investigators privy even to some of the most private postings of anyone who wants to be a cop, sources said.
There is no written policy on what is objectionable – investigators just know it when they see it, sources said.
The policy, which went into effect with the class that got sworn in last January, is a direct result of embarrassing disclosures of inappropriate online postings by cops and recruits.
Last summer, a rookie cop named Christian Torres was arrested and charged with twice robbing a Sovereign Bank in Manhattan, along with one in Pennsylvania.
Internal Affairs investigators discovered Torres had a MySpace page in which he posted cartoons about bank robberies and listed his profession as “Oink,” an apparent reference to police.
Other personal Web pages of would-be cops have surfaced that featured videos of violent police beatings, explicit photos involving police uniforms or gear, and snide or bigoted remarks.
The online scrutiny has successfully winnowed out some obviously inappropriate applicants – including a couple of recruits whose networking accounts included boasts of gang membership, or photos of the applicant sporting gang-related tattoos and making gang gestures, according to a retired Applicants Division investigator who asked not to be identified by name.
“They’re not looking to hire gang members,” he laughed.
Omaha Police Recruiting New Officers
In a time when many employers are cutting jobs, the Omaha Police Department is advertising for a number of vacant positions.
The department is putting extra effort this year into looking for new recruits to the police force.
“We have, in the last two years, hired a record number of police officers and it helps us by being able to advertise in more places to get a more diverse group of individuals,” said Lt. Cathy Cook.
The group applying this year is more diverse than ever, Cook said. She said the number of female applicants increased last year and that there is even a Web site that recruits in Spanish.
“Certainly, if you look at the population in the city of Omaha, you will see that we’re getting more Latino citizens in here,” she said. “So it would only help us that if we want to be representative of the community we serve that we have more Latino police officers.”
The department’s second-annual media campaign includes television commercials and even billboards.
“There were probably a couple of years where the applications were low,” Cook said. “So we decided that any additional advertising that we could get would certainly help us with our numbers.”
To save money, the city is deferring one of the two police recruiting classes this year, Cook said, so a successful campaign is more important than ever.
Even with city budget cuts, advertising for new recruits is made possible through the efforts of the Omaha Police Foundation and its media partners, who have donated more than $100,000 in products and services.
Fresno officers log off for good
On paper, Fresno police officer Brian Nieto retired from the force during a “logging off” ceremony Thursday at City Hall.
But in his mind, he’s still a cop, said Nieto, a former motorcycle officer who nearly died after being shot three times during a traffic stop in 2006.
“It’s hard to give up what I’m used to doing. I’ve still not let go of it,” said Nieto, 34.
Nieto and six other officers retired before a capacity crowd in the Fresno City Council chambers.
He and other retirees — James Barnard, James Brewer, Michael Cavallero, Alan Davis, John Kratt and Robert Sears — have more than 196 collective years of service among them.
Nieto was an officer for five years.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer described each officer’s contribution to the department, teasing some of them, like Brewer, his former beat partner.
But Dyer, his voice halting with emotion, had some special words for Nieto.
In critical condition for 30 days after he was shot, Nieto survived because of “God’s miraculous hand,” Dyer said.
“He was not able to continue as a police officer, but he was able to continue with his life. Thank you for the service and sacrifice that almost cost you your life. God bless you,” Dyer said.
The audience gave Nieto a standing ovation.
During the ceremony, each officer called the department’s dispatch center over a hand-held police radio to log off duty for the last time.
Nieto hesitated for a few seconds when it was his turn to log off on the radio.
The dispatcher’s response to Nieto — as to each retired officer in turn — was broadcast to all police units on duty across the city and to the chamber audience: “Attention all units. Officer Nieto is logging off. Job well done, Officer Nieto.”
After the ceremony, Nieto shook hands and hugged friends, family members and other officers.
He shared a long and tearful hug with officer Junus Perry, who was also injured in the line of duty.
Perry, a campus officer at Roosevelt High School, suffered a severe neck injury in April when Jesus “Jesse” Carrizales, 17, hit him on the head with a wooden baseball bat, knocking him to the ground. Perry shot and killed Carrizales.
Like Nieto, Perry has not returned to work. Perry said the two share a bond and are helping each other recover.
“Together, we’re both going to get through this,” Perry said.
When Nieto was shot by Joaquin Figueroa, the bullets punctured his liver, stomach, bladder, diaphragm, leg and arm.
Three days after the shooting, officers shot and killed Figueroa as he dived into a car driven by his aunt. Officers said they feared Figueroa had access to weapons in the car.
Nieto said he lives with constant pain and has “good days and bad days.” He spends most days resting and doing physical therapy at home.
Nieto said nerve damage to his left leg prevented him from returning to duty.
“I thought I’d be able to overcome everything, but the nerve damage is holding me back,” Nieto said.
He made the decision to retire a few months ago. “It was time to make the decision,” he said. He has no regrets.
Nieto said he has not decided what new career to follow but may do background investigation work.
Ten new police officers were sworn in at the ceremony: Stephanie Alvarez, Adrian Diaz, Amada Galaviz, Christopher Gallagher, Gregory Johnson, Issac Mendoza, Sophath Meak, Conor O’Neill, Stephanie Pope and William Richards III.
Officer Brian Phillips was promoted to the rank of sergeant.
Dothan Police Department Makes Changes
The Dothan Police Department is making some changes, more officers are taking to the streets to increase safety throughout the community. In addition, there are some upper-level management positions that are being moved around to keep officers from getting comfortable. More Dothan police officers are getting out of their cars and onto the streets in an effort to increase safety. Dothan Police Chief John Powell said, “We try to do foot patrol all over town when we can because it helps with the interaction between the officers and residents.” The increase in officers on the streets comes as a direct result of public response. “During the holidays we received a lot of positive comments about the foot patrols from the public and we’ve seen a drop in criminal activity,” Chief Powell said. Foot patrol officers work downtown and in shopping centers around the city. And residents may not notice the newest changes in the department, but they are happening to keep officers working efficiently. Chief Powell said, “We routinely move our supervisors around to help them stay on top of the department and it sharpens their skills.” Captain Greg Benton is now over administration, Captain Steve Parrish is over investigations and Captain Larry Draughn will watch over the patrol division. All moves to keep allow officers to continue learning while on the force. You may have noticed an increase in parking tickets given in the downtown Dothan area, which too is a direct result of foot patrol officers. The crackdown on extended parking downtown is a direct response to business owners concerns for parking in the downtown area. Link/video
Troubled kid grows up to be sheriff
All the obstacles were in place for Walter L. Davis III.
Everyday life in the projects of East Akron, his large family left fatherless by murder, his failing personal battle to cage his youthful anger.
He toed the line at home, where his hardworking mother ruled with a firm hand over her five children.
But on the streets, Davis let loose his frustration, almost becoming an urban warrior marching to battle.
Davis said his life took a turn at East High and Joy Park, where he found direction and discipline in the sport of wrestling, with a coach who made a lifelong impression on the lost
teenager.
This month, the kid who once fought on the streets of South Arlington made history. Davis was sworn in as Ohio’s first elected African-American county sheriff.
He did so in affluent Delaware County, on the same ballot where John McCain rolled over Barack Obama.
The coincidence of Davis’ ceiling-breaker isn’t lost with today’s inauguration of Obama as the country’s first African-American president.
”I think [Obama] will tell you, as I will . . . there was no sign-up sheet for which line you want to stand in: a white line, an Indian line, an Asian line, an African-American line,” Davis said.
”I’m fortunate to have an opportunity to continue to serve in this capacity. I am truly blessed. I look at this as an opportunity to empower a lot of people to be better at doing what it is that we should be doing: public service.”
East High graduate
Davis’ life road leads out of Akron’s East High in the late 1970s, to the campus of Cuyahoga Community College, to a 28-year career with the State Highway Patrol and to an unlikely appointment in Delaware County, where he was hand-picked to replace a disgraced sheriff.
None of it might have happened, Davis said, if not for the influence of his mother, Brenda ”Smoke” Coleman-Grant, and his direction-changing relationship with veteran Joy Park recreation coach and mentor Jim Robinson.
Davis and his four siblings were raised by Grant at a housing project at Arlington and Milton streets on the city’s East Side. His father, Walter Davis II, was 26 when he was murdered. The future sheriff was about 6 years old.
His mother worked various jobs — waitressing, cleaning homes — to keep her children fed and dressed. Davis said his mother’s work ethic stays with him to this day.
Away from home and his mother’s discipline, Davis said, he was an early teenage scrapper with attitude. He fought at school, ignored his teachers and shoved responsibility to the side.
”I was a troubled young man growing up in search of direction, leadership, a role model,” he said.
Grant said she worried about her oldest son’s future, fearing he would wind up living the hard life like his father. She said she saw a change in her son when she voiced her comparison.
”I was very worried about him,” said Grant, who still lives in Akron. ”His father had a rough side, and I thought he’d be just like him.”
Coach’s influence
Enter ”Snake” Robinson and his wrestling program for inner-city kids. Whenever Davis visits Akron and sees Robinson, he reminds the old coach of the influence he had on the kid from East Akron.
”Every time I see him . . . I look him in the eye and say, ‘You saved my life,’ ” said Davis, 48. ”He put his arm around me and he turned this aggressive, young, snot-nosed kid into a good, responsible, productive citizen.
”He didn’t give up on me. He helped nurture me and he was the role model who helped me. He took all that negative aggression and attitude that I had into something positive.”
Under the tutelage of Robinson (he could not be reached for comment), Davis turned his aggression into a successful wrestling career at East. He won two City Series titles and finished fourth in Ohio in the 119-pound division his senior year, 1978.
Road to law enforcement
From there, Davis was recruited to Cuyahoga Community College, where he earned the nickname ”Magnum” while continuing to wrestle. He also took his first law-enforcement classes.
His college classes and graduation led to meetings with State Highway Patrol troopers, who encouraged him to join the force. His entry was delayed by an eighth of an inch. Davis stood just under the patrol’s former 5-foot-8 minimum height requirement. The rule later was changed.
By July 1981, Davis was a state trooper. Over the next two-plus decades, from patrol posts in Elyria and Columbus, he investigated white-collar crimes, prison assaults and homicides. Later, he helped recruit new troopers.
He met his wife, Brenda, at his church and they married in 2001. They have a son, 6-year-old M.J., and a 20-year-old niece, Britnee, whom the Davises have raised as a daughter.
Davis remained close to the sport of wrestling, serving as a high school referee for more than 20 years.
Political interest
The Davises built a home in 2002 and moved to Genoa Township in mostly white Delaware County.
Neighbors, impressed to have a trooper living close by, urged him to become a trustee on the development’s homeowners board.
That led to a run for township trustee, a failed venture in his first taste of politics. But he helped out on other campaigns and along the way, Davis caught the eye of county Republicans, who were looking to replace an outgoing sheriff plagued by controversy.
Davis defeated five applicants for the appointment in 2007. He became the first African-American to serve as an Ohio sheriff. No opposition candidate emerged for the election last year.
”As he will explain time and time again, he’s not a politician, he’s just a good cop,” said Joel Spitzer, treasurer of the Delaware County Republican Party. ”And that’s something I think that was attractive to a lot of people in [the party].
”We never wanted to say, ‘Here’s the first African-American sheriff in Ohio.’ It was, ‘Here’s Magnum Davis, somebody’s who going to be a great sheriff, who’s going to protect the people of Delaware County and re-establish some pride in the sheriff’s office.’ ”
Davis is retired from the Highway Patrol, focusing on the duties of sheriff and keeping Delaware County one of the best places to raise a family, a ranking it obtained from Forbes magazine.
He remains close to Akron, offering a $1,000 scholarship to an East High student every year. He started similar scholarships in Delaware County’s eight high schools, part of the ”pay it forward” belief he learned from others. Some in his party see him as a possible candidate for Congress one day.
As sheriff, he said, his task is about refocusing the department, turning it back toward the right path, devoid of corruption.
It is a job not unlike the one Robinson did for that kid in East Akron.
”I’m looking at building a team, and as I told my team members, I want us to be the best in class in what we do,” he said. ”I want to do this, not for money, I’m doing this because I have an opportunity to serve and protect.”
DuPage County Sheriff’s Office taking Citizen Police Academy applications
Sheriff John E. Zaruba is looking for residents interested in attending the next Citizen Police Academy at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.
Classes begin Feb. 11 and meet 15 consecutive Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
While many citizen police academies expose students to law enforcement activities, the Sheriff’s Citizen Police Academy also provides students with a hands-on look at the inner workings of the DuPage County Jail, crime laboratory and courthouse.
The academy’s curriculum includes of a wide variety of interactive experiences supplemented by limited in-classroom lecture. Each week, students participate in mock exercises, such as re-enacting traffic stops, dispatching officers, using a firearms simulator and participating in courtroom proceedings.
Other topics include crime scene investigations, gang enforcement, crime prevention, bomb unit, SWAT team, and financial identity theft.
Residents who have graduated from municipal citizen police academies are welcome to attend, as areas unique to the sheriff’s office will be covered in detail. Students will also have the opportunity to join the Sheriff’s Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association.
The academy is open to all DuPage County residents. Academy tuition is free, but enrollment is limited to a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants must submit to a warrant and criminal history check. Applicants who have been convicted of a violent crime may be disqualified.
Anyone wanting information or wishing to register for this session may call 630-407-2313 or e-mail Sgt. Randy Groh at randy.groh@dupagesheriff.org. Applications will also be available online at www.dupageco.org/sheriff. Click the link for Programs and Services.
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