Manteca Police conduct 39th annual K9 trials
Friday night narcotics dogs entered a separate competition to judge how best they could sniff out the different drugs on the street today.
Three Manteca canine officers entered their dogs in competition with departments from Citrus Heights to Benicia and Madera.
Grant Flory who has served in the Manteca canine unit until recently entered his partner “Spike” in the retired competition. Flory also put on an exhibition with his giant Schnauzer “Iro” who he is training for both protection and for narcotics detection.
Manteca’s Dale Goforth competed with his canine Gage and Randy Chiek put “Blade” through his paces. San Joaquin County Sheriff’s canine officer Terry Schaeffer put his dog “Spike” up against all comers – “Spike” did very well. It was “Spike” who captured the auto theft suspect hiding inside a hollowed-out box spring earlier this week on Cherry Lane.
The Manteca Police Department currently has four working dogs and a fifth that is being certified. Sgt. Lewis Clark, who heads up the unit, said officers are looking for one more canine to fill a vacancy.
He added that he hopes to fill two vacant positions for narcotics sniffing canines within the next two to three weeks. Up until now officers had to call for mutual aid when they had a drug search – often from Ripon when their dog was available.
Manteca officers voiced their appreciation to Manteca Trailer and Camper for continuing to supply an RV with a power plant that is used every year to set up an office at the site of the competition. Officers added that Manteca Trailer also provides a second motor home for snack bar use.
The trailer and camper firm on Highway 120 east of Highway 99 also parked a Jumping Jack camping trailer at the park Saturday – it’s a $6,000 prize and the raffle tickets are free for the asking. The drawing won’t be for a couple weeks yet. Tickets are still available at their display room.
Another Manteca business that has sponsored the dog trials is Aunty’s Dog Grooming located on West Yosemite Avenue at McKinley providing monetary support for the event. Countless volunteers from inside and outside the police department make the trials possible.
Manteca canine officer of the last 19 years, Grant Flory, was presented with a wall piece centered with a color photograph of his recently retired canine, “Spike.” He and “Spike” took first place Saturday in the retired category – which would have equated to second place had they been able to compete in the open division.
The number one team in the two-day competition was Chico Police Department’s Brett Smith and Robert Hartman. Search honors went to Officer Steve Thomson of Sacramento Police Department. Brett Smith of Chico PD and his canine partner finished first in the obedience category.
Jake Heinemeyer of the Benicia Police Department took the first place in the agility category.
First place in the protection phase went to Officer Felix Roman, of the Modesto Police Department’s canine unit; overall to Lori Alva, Madera PD, and novice winner was Steve Thomson, of the Sacramento Police Department.
Partners in crime-fighting
LAPEER — The county’s top dog noses out narcotics, locates the lost and unearths evidence.
“Drago,” a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois, has been on duty with the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department for more than eight years and teamed with deputy Mike Tappen for more than five of them.
“He is my partner,” said Tappen. “Where I go, he goes.”
The duo, with Lapeer City Police officer Shawn Broecker, and his German Shepherd canine partner “Axel,” plus eight other county canine units, keep drugs out of schools.
“Sheriff Kalanquin has a mutual aid agreement with the other counties,” Tappen said. “It saves the counties a lot of money, and puts more than one dog on the scene when they’re needed.”
The certified K-9 units from the Mid Michigan Police Canine Association train once a week to sharpen their skills. At the request of the school’s policing jurisdiction, they often use a conditioning day to insure there is no drug activity at the schools. Nine K-9 teams from Lapeer, Genesee, Sandusky, Shiawasee and Tuscola counties searched Imlay City High School and Almont High School Tuesday. The dogs deemed both schools drug free.
“They got there just before 9 a.m. unannounced,” said Imlay City Police officer Joseph DeLuca, the school liaison officer. “They did a general search of the exterior, the outside of the lockers and around the vehicles in the parking lot.”
Though lockers remained shut, the canines could have easily detected the presence of illegal drugs such as cocaine, marijuana or heroin. During the search, school officials stood by in case any were determined suspicious. The dogs sense of smell is so keen, they can easily detect narcotics inside a vehicle though the windows and doors are shut.
“When there is a cake in the oven, that’s what we smell,” Tappen said. “But Drago smells each ingredient like the baking powder, the butter, and the eggs.”
While on the job, Drago has recovered evidence to put away criminals and sniffed out a lot of drugs including 850 pounds of marijuana during one bust. Tappen is most proud of his partner when he finds lost or missing people.
“There was a 10-year-old boy that had medical problems who ran off with his dog Snoopy,” Tappen said recalling one incident. “We had Oakland County helicopters called out. Drago found him and ran right up to him”
The dog was trained by Mid-Michigan Kennels in Eaton Rapids; the company specializes in police dogs. Drago only follows orders from Tappen.
“He will follow commands in three languages, English, Chech, and sign,” Tappen said. “Some of the dogs are trained in French, Russian or German.”
When Tappen is in the squad room, Drago remains in the police car. The deputy wears a special sensor that monitors the temperature inside the cruiser to insure the dog is comfortable.
Besides spending one week a year in the kennel for a family vacation, Tappen and Drago are side by side. Tappen’s police partner is also a member of the family. He sleeps inside the home and is affectionate and loyal to his wife and two children. But when there’s a visitor, Drago is regulated to his crate.
When Drago becomes too old for police work, he will live full time with the Tappens.
Geez Louise, even the dogs are getting pink slips….
City may lay off 4-legged officers
South Carolina’s pervasive economic downturn is threatening what was once one of the safest jobs in Columbia: being a police dog or a police horse.
About 16 police animals — 13 dogs and three horses — could be laid off by July 1 as the Columbia Police Department struggles to make its budget.
The department overspent its 2008 budget by $4 million and is already $2 million over budget for this fiscal year, which ends in June. With city revenues expected to fall $4 million next year, Chief Tandy Carter — hired last May — is proposing to cut funding for the department’s K-9 and mounted patrol units.
The department spends about $75,000 a year on horses and about $35,000 a year on dogs, according to Capt. Isa Green, who oversees the two units. That includes food, veterinary bills and shelter. It does not include salaries and benefits for the human officers who work with the animals; they would not be laid off.
If the funds are cut, the dogs would most likely stay with the police officers as pets, Carter said. The horses would probably be donated to other agencies.
City Council members, while they do not prepare the budget, have final say on what’s in the budget. Contacted last week, a majority of council members said they do not support eliminating the K-9 unit, but would support doing away with the horses.
The dogs are trained in tracking human scent and identifying hidden drugs. They also sometimes are simply intimidating: Suspects who might not be frightened of an officer can freeze in their tracks at the sight of the dogs.
Sgt. Andre Williams, who oversees the K-9 unit, estimates the dogs are called to duty about twice a week. The officers who handle the dogs are spread throughout the city’s four police regions but can go wherever they’re needed.
The mounted patrol mainly works the city’s parks, including downtown’s large Finlay Park. Carter said they serve as a public-relations tool more than anything else, which is why council members are more agreeable to cutting their funding.
“The mounted patrol to me is really ceremonial,” Councilman Daniel Rickenmann said.
The department has 13 dogs — Dottie, Jinx, Meca, Zena, Cole, Zeus, Max, Max (no relation), Zoro, Blue, Josephine, Jazzy and Bobo.
The mounted patrol had five horses, but two — Shiloh and Beorn — were killed in a 2007 car wreck. That left three horses — Harvey, a thoroughbred, and Brinx and Trouble, both quarter horses.
It was not clear if the department acquired more horses after 2007. Officials with the mounted patrol unit could not be reached for comment last week.
Police officers, by the nature of their dangerous jobs, have a special bond with each other — and the same is true of police animals.
When Shiloh and Beorn were killed in 2007, the department held a memorial service for them at Finlay Park that had a 32-horse procession from departments in Raleigh, Wilmington and Savannah, among others.
With police dogs, that bond is even closer. Columbia officers assigned to the K-9 unit keep the dogs at their homes when they are off duty.
Blue, a 13-year-old German Shepherd, was purchased from a breeder in The Netherlands and has been with Williams for his entire career.
“That’s my son,” Williams said. “I don’t have a boy. I have two girls, and Blue is my son.”
Zeus and Zena are brother and sister. So are Zoro and Dottie. Meca was donated from the Greer Police Department, while Josephine, the department’s lone bloodhound, was rescued from the side of the road.
To Carter, something has to give: It’s cut men or cut animals.
But several council members said Carter has options other than eliminating the K-9 unit, such as reducing the department’s overtime budget.
“I just don’t feel like the police department has been good stewards of the money they have been given,” Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine said.
Devine pointed to Woodcreek Farms, a subdivision off Clemson Road in Northeast Richland, at the farthest reaches of the city. The department does not assign officers to that area, but instead uses overtime to make sure it is patrolled.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Devine said. “You know it’s part of the city; you know the city has to do patrols out there.”
But Carter said when City Council members annexed Woodcreek Farms into the city, they did not give the police department more money or more officers to patrol the extra space.
“I think it’s a very good use of overtime,” Carter said. “Right now crime is down 10 percent. Crime would not be down 10 percent if we weren’t able to spread the resources.”
Stream of horrific crimes takes toll on town cops
TRACY, Calif. — Detective Nate Cogburn’s last few months have been filled with the stuff of nightmares. Neighbors charged with shackling and torturing a teenager in a Tracy home.
A substitute teacher accused of molesting upward of 15 students. A surgeon arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of dozens of patients.
And, most recently, a Sunday school teacher charged with kidnapping, raping and murdering 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, the playmate of her own little girl. “I was just bombarded,” said Cogburn, who grew up nearby and joined the Tracy police force after college.
“They always say don’t take your cases home with you _ they preach that every day from day one at the academy,” said Cogburn, 28. “But I always take them home. They’re with me all the time.” This San Francisco Bay-area suburb has nearly doubled in size since the mid-1990s, to 80,000 people. It has been ranked one of the state’s safest cities, but those recent major cases have taken a toll on its police officers. “
As the city grows, inevitably, the crime gets more complex, there will be more conflict … and the police will get caught in the middle of that,” said Joseph McNamara, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution who was San Jose’s police chief from 1976 to 1991.
Police were especially stressed by the disappearance and murder last month of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu. The department’s sworn officers and staff pulled 2,966 hours of overtime on that case alone.
And tougher than the intense work is the lull that follows, when the mask of professional composure comes down and doubts, sadness and anger come through, said Tracy police chaplain Dan Higgins.
“When they’re able to focus on their jobs and do their part, they have an outlet,” said Higgins. “The hard part comes later.”
Cogburn worked 200 hours in two weeks in the search for Sandra and then for her killer. This meant little sleep, no breaks, a canceled second wedding anniversary weekend in Napa with his cancer-stricken wife, and less time with his 10-year-old stepson.
Sandra disappeared from her home in a mobile home park on March 27, and Cogburn got the call hours later, after he got back from the funeral of a Tracy resident who was one of four Oakland police officers gunned down after a traffic stop of a parolee.
He and other officers worked through the night, and into the next day _ a 36 hours straight.
“By God, the difference between finding her alive or dead might be a few minutes, so we wouldn’t leave, we wouldn’t sleep at all,” he said.
On April 6, farmworkers pulled a suitcase from an irrigation pond. Police Chief Janet Thiessen’s voice broke as she announced that Cantu’s body was inside.
It was a blow to the officers who had given their days and nights to the case and had seen their children in Cantu’s brown eyes and long brown hair.
“That was the hard part,” said Cogburn, choking up.
“It wasn’t going to be the ending we were all praying for,” he said. “All of a sudden, here it is. It’s happening. The worst is happening right now.”
As the town mourned, police officers worked harder.
“It was an utter letdown, but it was only momentary,” said Capt. John Espinoza, 47, the incident commander. “It was quick: from loss, grieving, to ‘we have to work through this, let’s go.’”
Cogburn wrote about 20 search warrants that day. Investigators knocked on doors, searching homes in the mobile home complex and a nearby church _ where 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby taught Sunday school and her grandfather preached.
Police later arrested Huckaby, who is jailed without bail awaiting trial on charges that could carry the death penalty.
Cogburn noted a January incident involving Huckaby and another missing child. A police report said that 7-year-old girl turned up but doctors found muscle relaxants in her bloodstream. No arrests were made.
Huckaby told KOVR-TV that she had taken the 7-year-old and her own 5-year-old daughter, who were playmates, to a park then brought the girl home.
At the time of that incident, Huckaby was just “an individual with a history of petty theft,” Cogburn said.
The investigation of Sandra’s disappearance and death absorbed resources that Tracy could ill afford. The town has a projected $3.5 million budget shortfall this fiscal year.
“The police chief said this was going to be a major effort of significant expense, and I said ‘You do what you need to do.’” recalled City Manager Leon Churchill Jr.
The city has not calculated the total cost of the case, said Zane Johnston, finance director.
“Putting a price tag implies a value to the case, and no amount of money will bring this little girl back,” said Johnston.
The city’s thank you to officers came as a barbecue in front of city hall. Residents approached cops at coffee shops to tell them how much their work was appreciated. Sandra’s aunt, Angie Chavez, thanked the dozens of officers who attended the little girl’s memorial for their dedication.
Cogburn remains haunted by the case.
“I feel nothing in terms of a sense of relief or solace. I feel nothing but devastation. Nothing,” he said. “It is a good thing that we’ve identified a suspect _ a good thing for the investigation, for the D.A.’s office, for being able to close this case, hopefully for the family. But emotionally it’s a vacuum.”
Parade Of Exotic Sports Cars Stopped For Speed Racing, Police Say
Police said they pulled over several sports cars simultaneously for speed racing near Grand Ronde on Thursday morning.
Oregon State Police stopped the six exotic sports cars, which included a Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche, on Highway 18, Sgt. Brad Hessel said. 
OSP Trooper David Petersen responded to a call regarding drivers of 10 exotic sports cars who were racing, driving faster than the speed limit and passing dangerously on Highway 18 at about 11:15 a.m., Hessel said.
Petersen set up on Highway 18 ahead of the cars and watched as five of the cars passed him, traveling well over the speed limit, Hessel said.
As Petersen accelerated to follow the five cars, a sixth car passed him traveling at a high rate of speed, Hessel said.
Petersen stopped all six of the cars and cited the drivers on charges of speed racing. The drivers were cooperative and told him that there was a group of about 20 drivers in exotic sports cars traveling together on an annual road trip, Hessel said.
Two hours later, one of the cars Petersen cited –- a 2004 Lamborghini – was stopped again on Interstate 84 eastbound for going 90 mph in a 65 mph zone, Hessel said.
Organizers Prepare for the Last “Run to Remember”
They’re stocking up on water and getting ready for the last annual “Run to Remember,” that will happen on Sunday.
It started five years ago, as the Burgert-VanKuren 5K run\walk to honor two Bradford County Sheriff’s Deputies gunned down in the line of duty.
It was renamed a “Run to Remember” when New York state trooper Andrew Sperr was killed, and it now honors all law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line everyday.
This Sunday marks the fifth and final annual “Run to Remember,” and coordinators are calling this weekend bittersweet.
They say they’ve raised more money than they ever imagined, but it takes a lot of work, and its time to call it quits.
“We wanted to not only raise money for Chris and Mike but we also wanted to raise awareness of what law enforcement does on an everyday basis,” said Joshua Bowman, the race coordinator.
What happened to Deputies Christopher Burgert and Michael VanKuren in 2004 rocked the community. Then it happened again in 2006- with New York State trooper Andrew Sperr.
“Everyday when an officer goes to work, they’re going out to protect a community that they serve in and unfortunately for Chris, Mike and Andy the ultimate sacrifice was paid,” Bowman added.
“Every law enforcement officer is very important to this area, and this race is just a great way for the community to say thank you,” said Greg Grund, the race director.
Over the years the Run to Remember has raised $100,000 and become the largest local race, with more than 700 runners a year.
Although this will be the last, the officers will not be forgotten.
“I don’t think anyone could forget those two particular days the community went through, so I don’t think anyone will forget,” Bowman added.
If you are planning to run this weekend- you’ll want to go to Chapel Park tomorrow from ten to three for early registration.
They’re anticipating a long line on Sunday.
The 5K starts at Chapel Park in Pine City, Sunday at 11.
Link/video
Gaston County Police K9 forced to retire
As the suspect flailed in the dirt and frantically punched Amigo’s head and muzzle, the veteran police dog held his grip on the man’s leg .
The pummeling continued for eight minutes, when Amigo’s handler, Officer Brian Bolick, arrived to arrest the man. The K-9 suffered burst blood vessels in both eyes, and three years later, still carries the scars of his only injury in the line of duty.
“Every time he gets excited now, his eyes turn red,” Bolick said.
Amigo, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, retired this month after 8½ years of service as a Gaston County Police K-9. Bolick adopted the dog – the county allows K-9 officers to purchase their retired partners for $1 – and is currently training his replacement, a Belgian Malinois named Larco.
“He’s been with me for eight years,” Bolick said. “He’s family. There’s no question he’s going to live with me. He’s like my child.”
The April 2006 tangle with a vending machine break-in suspect in Cherryville marks the dog’s sole injury, but not his only brush with danger. In January 2008, Bolick carried Amigo up a fire engine ladder to sniff out a suspect holed up inside an attic. He held a bite on the man until he surrendered to police.
Trained as a multipurpose patrol dog that performs tracking, building search and suspect apprehension work, Amigo has run more than 170 tracks and found nearly 90 people – about 30 apprehended by force. He’s also helped police seize more than $225,000 worth of illegal drugs.
Pannus, a genetic eye disease that inflames dogs’ corneas, has taken 75 percent of Amigo’s vision. Because of the K-9′s potent sense of smell, Amigo was still an effective patrol dog, Bolick said.
“Within the last two months, he was still finding people,” he said. “A lot of them I saw before he did, but his nose could still point me in the right direction.”
Gaston County Police prefer the Belgian Malinois breed over German shepherds because the dogs are slightly smaller, faster and have longer jaws for a more powerful bite. The department invests $6,000 to $8,000 on each new dog, and handlers train their own K-9s in a 16-week service dog boot camp, where they learn 15 to 20 Dutch commands.
The dogs’ most vital function is to protect their handlers from serious injury or death. Bolick said the suspect in the Cherryville vending machine break-ins was extremely violent, and an officer would likely have had to use deadly force to detain him. Amigo did the job with one bite.
“The dog coming at a person takes a lot of the fight out of them,” Bolick said. “Once the dog bites them and I tell them to stop fighting and I’ll take him off, they tend to get still pretty quick.”
As suspects beat and batter the K-9s, their grips remain strong. Bolick said injuries from police dog bites are caused not by canine savagery, but by the suspects’ motion, which can tear skin around the bite and deepen the wound.
“They hold on until we tell them to let go, and the harder the guy fights, the harder they bite,” he said. “He’s going to hold on till he dies.”
A Gaston County Police badge sparkles from Amigo’s collar as Bolick rubs the tan tufts of fur behind his ears. The trim, muscular dog weighed about 67 pounds and has already gained five in his first three weeks of retirement.
The K-9 unit’s six dogs all live with their handlers. Amigo and his replacement, Larco, sleep in separate kennels at Bolick’s home.
Being a K-9 handler requires an affinity for the dogs and the dedication to feed, train and care for them both on- and off-duty.
“I’ve been a cop for 13 years and a K-9 handler for eight,” Bolick said. “I’ve always grown up with dogs and trained my own. When the opportunity came to put those two together – working and training dogs-it was just a no-brainer. I’ve loved it ever since. I wouldn’t trade it for nothing.”
Bloomfield K-9 unit receives $500 donation from Duke Energy
The Bloomfield Police Department’s in dog heaven with its newest canine member Dristan.
“She’s turned out to be very good,” explained Town Marshal Ken Tharp on Friday after receiving a $500 check from Duke Energy for Dristan.
The money — which was funded through a Duke Energy grant– will go toward her equipment and training costs, he noted.
The BPD still needs $4,000 for the necessary equipment and training costs for Dristan.
“She should be out and trained by June,” Tharp said, noting obedience, tracking and bite work as part of her training.
At that point, Lt. Harvey Holt will serve as the canine officer.
Tharp has past noted the need for the dog in Bloomfield.
“Bloomfield’s not drug-ridden…but we do have a drug problem. Fifty-five percent of arrests last year were drug related,” Tharp said — during the March meeting of the Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce.
Tharp and Holt recently traveled to Ohio to purchase Dristan, a Belgian Malinois, for $500.
Group forms fund to support retired police dogs
After living an active life dedicated to fighting crime and protecting people, retired police dogs demand extra care to ensure a healthy happy latter part of life.
Due to city budget cuts in 2008, Plano police K-9’s are depending on their handlers to spend money out of pocket to pay vet bills and provide necessities to allow them to live a peaceful and content post years.
In an effort to help officers take care of their retired canines, sever Plano police officers and employees formed the Hero Fund, a non-profit organization to assist with the sometimes overwhelming bills associated with owning a retired police canine service animal.
“With city budgets decreasing, officers are given the opportunity to purchase these animals once they retire,” said Rick McDonald, Plano police spokesman. “Once they are purchased, the upkeep is extremely expensive. These dogs are like athletes. They run their whole life and now they are in retirement mode.”
Since the K-9 unit was formed in 1983, the care of these retired dogs was funded by the city as a part of the police budget. McDonald said now that the financial burden is the handler’s responsibility, some are struggling with the upkeep. McDonald said retired police dogs don’t just suffer from the normal ailments associated with aging, but also the serious wear and tear that comes from years of rigorous training and working, including arthritis, hip and knee injuries, torn ligaments and back and spinal problems.”
“The Hero Fund will cover these expenses,” McDonald said. “The Hero Fund will ensure the health and comfort of our service canines in their post service years.”
At the current time, the Plano Police Canine Unit consists of three officer handlers and three canines.
The average cost of purchasing those dogs ranges from $8,000 to $12,000. The cost is dependant on breed, location of kennel from where the dog is purchased, certification that the dog has earned and the availability of the dog when needed. Other costs associated include the handler’s pay and training and the daily expenses necessary for the continued health of the dog.
“We believe that the police canine is one of the most valuable tools today in law enforcement nboth as a deterrent to crime as well as apprehending those who commit crimes,” McDonald said. “We consider each of our police canines a member of our police family. Each of our canines goes home with their handler at the end of their shift and enjoys the comfort of a family environment.”
To make a donation send a check or money order to:
The Hero Fund
Attn: Heather Bowden, Treasurer
3941 Legacy Drive
Suite 204 #A115
Plano, TX 75023
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