When they’re not nabbing criminals, they’re winning hearts
Ever since joining the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office less than a year ago, Rex and Ringo have been making a name for themselves, putting criminals behind bars — and winning the hearts of school children everywhere.
Rex is a 5-year-old Belgium Malinos acquired through a law enforcement adoption program.
Ringo is a 3-year-old Dutch Shepherd, born in Holland and purchased from a top-ranked kennel.
Both are K-9 officers trained to alert when narcotics are present, schooled in the art of tracking, handler protection and criminal apprehension, but passive enough to let children pet them.
Some 2,000 students, pre-school through fifth grade, have already met the dogs at demonstrations held at their schools.
“Since the inception of the K-9 unit, they have made 29 arrests and conducted 14 demonstrations at various schools in the county,” said Ringo’s handler, Cpl. Mike Zimmerman.
Both he and Deputy Justin Wagner, Rex’s handler, head up the K-9 unit, saying they love their jobs and they are solely responsible for their dogs.
“No one else works our dogs,” Zimmerman explained. “It’s a partner thing. I spend more time with Ringo than with my family.”
The dogs go home with them, he said, and are “part of the family, but not family pets.”
He is particularly proud of their recent national certification earned in Little Rock in October.
He said Rex and Ringo were required to find four “hides” in four rooms. “If you have one miss, you don’t get certified,” he said, “It was a pretty stressful test.”
Stressful, he explained, because the sheriff’s office doesn’t have heroine or cocaine on hand for training purposes.
“They were previously trained on those,” Zimmerman explained, “but it’s nice to have it — to throw out and know they’ll alert. We only have meth and marijuana here. We don’t have the luxury of heroine and cocaine for training purposes.”
Although Zimmerman said he sweated the outcome of the certification test, both dogs reverted back to their previous training and sniffed out the four “hides” with no problem.
Zimmerman said the K-9 unit is available to area law enforcement agencies 24/7, and the canine’s skills are often called upon.
He said his prediction that it would take about a year for all area personnel to learn procedure has proven true.
As an example, he said officers have learned that if they are involved in a foot pursuit and decide a tracking dog is needed, they stay off the trail.
Pictured are Deputy Justin Wagner with Rex, and Cpl. Mike Zimmerman with Ringo.
“Now, all our guys know what we need so the dogs can do their job,” he explained.
While Zimmerman has a history working with drug dogs, Wagner admits he is relatively new to the K-9 division.
He recalled his first “agency assist,” which involved a probation/parole officer on a home visit that resulted in an arrest for drug possession.
“It was my first time to deploy the dog,” Wagner remembered. “I was leery. But, you trust what you have and trust the dog.”
Wagner says he enjoys his work with Rex, who knows when they are about to go on duty.
“He stands at the door and whines. He’s ready to go to work. He sees my clothes going on, and to him, it’s that time to go out and have fun.”
“Working the K-9 unit couldn’t be more satisfying,” added Zimmerman. “I like finding drugs but I like tracking better. Nine times out of 10, at night, a suspect can get away — but not from the dogs. Ringo is a great dog to work with. Of all the dogs I’ve worked with, he’s Number One.”
Butler police dog begins night patrols
Night-time police patrols are no longer as lonesome or dangerous for the village’s third-shift officer, Lt. Brian Pergande.
He’s got a canine partner now – a police-trained German shepherd called Oden – thanks in large part to a generous contribution from Butler resident Mary Turnbull.
Pergande took Oden on his first patrol Saturday night, May 16. “We encountered an ‘open door’ the first night,” Pergande said.
Pergande regularly checks Butler businesses for open doors on his night beat. If he finds one, he goes in, looks around and, if no one’s there, secures the door as he leaves. He notifies the business owner the next day.
This time, though, “Oden went in ahead of me and cleared it out.”
If Oden had discovered anyone there, he would have barked if the man fled, or held him with his teeth if he caught him.
That’s just one of his jobs. Besides “officer protection and criminal apprehension,” Oden can also track criminals or missing children and elderly people and retrieve evidence dropped by suspects that an officer might miss, Pergande explained.
Adding a canine officer to the otherwise single-officer night beat was Pergande’s brainchild. Night patrols had become increasingly dangerous as drug busts in the village doubled over the last two years, he said.
He began campaigning for it last fall with a letter to Police Chief Michael Cosgrove. The chief backed him up and took it to the Village Board, which unanimously endorsed the proposal – but without voting any money for it.
Pergande then sent out fundraising letters to every resident and business in the village. He had raised about $5,000 in $100-$500 contributions when Turnbull stepped in and donated the balance.
Oden was already trained, but Pergande was not, so he went to Campbellsport to take the Steinig Tal Police K9 Academy’s four-week training course at Fox Valley Technical College’s Criminal Justice Division.
There he had to learn a little German, too, because that’s the language Oden (named after the chief god in the ancient Norse religion) knows.
“Most police dogs are trained in another language,” Pergande explained, “so criminals can’t confuse them.”
It’s also a tradition. “Police dogs were first developed in Germany,” he noted. Oden’s parents were from Germany, too, he added.
The dog and Pergande’s training cost $10,000, and Pergande expects Oden to cost another $25,000-$30,000 over the course of his estimated 10-year life expectancy for housing, food and medical care, plus yearly certification.
Neighboring communities might also benefit from Butler’s police dog. Oden will be available for mutual assistance with other communities, Pergande said.
The 32-year-old Pergande has worked in law enforcement for nine years and trained with the West Allis Police Department’s canines when he served there as a dispatcher.
Pergande, who still lives in West Allis, has also worked for the Kenosha Police Department (five years) and for the Wisconsin Capitol Police in Madison and at State Fair Park in West Allis, but hopes to spend the rest of his career in Butler.
Police dog teams take top honors
The city’s police dog teams racked up more than a dozen awards during the United States Police Canine Association competition.
Franklin Police Department hosted the event on May 15. Twenty-nine officer-and-dog teams from Tennessee and Indiana competed at Franklin’s Fieldstone Park.
Sgt. Aaron Compton, who supervises Franklin’s K-9 Unit, and Officer Charlie Richards won 14 of the 28 awards for this year’s competition.
“While very proud of their performance, I am not at all surprised,” said Chief Jackie Moore. “The Franklin Police Department strives for excellence in every area. The fact that our two competing walked away with 50 percent of this year’s honors is evidence of just that.”
Compton and his dog, Sting, won first place overall, as well as first place in agility and total search, second place in obedience, article search and criminal apprehension, and third place in tracking. The two also won the Sgt. Jimmy D. Anderson Memorial Award. This award is presented to the officer-and-dog team with the highest combined obedience and criminal apprehension scores. Compton and Sting scored 690 out of 700.
Richards and his dog partner, Titan, won first place in obedience and tracking, second place overall, second place in total search and third place in article search and box search. They scored 684 overall.
Franklin’s two newest dog handlers, Brad Dorman and Brett Spivy, along with dogs Nash and Axel, will compete at next year’s event.
Breeder donates pup to police K-9 unit
A Pullman (WA) man motivated by the shooting of a Spokane police dog has given the department a German shepherd puppy.
Nick Lungu breeds and trains the dogs for his business, I-Guard International. He sells the animals for as much as $2,500 each but gave the Spokane Police Department first pick of his latest litter after reading of the March shooting of Var, a longtime police dog.
Police say Officer Dan Lesser shot and killed Johnnie Longest, 22, after Longest shot Var.
The puppy, named Ajax after the mythological hero, will be raised by Officer Jay Kernkamp as part of the Spokane police K-9 unit’s puppy program.
“This program, due to its careful selection process, has been extremely successful in producing some of the region’s finest police service dogs,” according to a news release prepared by Officer Kevin King.
Centre County Officer being honored
A Centre County police officer is receiving national recognition.
Officer Tim Stinger of the Ferguson Township Police is the NRA’s ‘Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.
“Stringer was cited for his role in stopping a gunman last July who first rammed Stringer’s patrol car, then opened fire on him with a shotgun.
The gunman threatened others before being killed by Stringer and two other Ferguson Township officers.
K-9 Ozkar retires from Alcoa Police Department
With dogged determination, it has been his goal to conquer crime and nab criminals for six years.
The determination is mostly due to his loyalty to his partner, job and community — plus the reward of his favorite toy. It is all he knows and his partner said it is more of a game than a career to him.
Alcoa Police K-9 Sgt. Hank Morris is transitioning K-9 Ozkar from being a working police dog to being a house dog with Morris' family.
And now that K-9 Ozkar is retired from the Alcoa Police Department, he is having a hard time doing what most people want to do at retirement age — relax.
Alcoa Police K-9 Sgt. Hank Morris said Ozkar is still transitioning into a stay-at-home dog since his retirement earlier this month. Nine-year-old Ozkar’s last day on patrol was May 1, and he was given to Morris by the City of Alcoa on May 12.
“We are slowly acclimating him to a house dog — it will take a while,” Morris said.
Still in work-mode, Ozkar “clears the building” (looking for anyone suspicious) when inside the home. He jumps around and barks with excitement when he sees a uniformed Morris get into his cruiser, hoping he gets to go to work.
But although Ozkar no longer gets to ride with Morris all day, there are several perks to being a house dog. When Ozkar searched for a suspect or narcotics while on the job — he was rewarded with a toy. Now he can play with his favorite tennis ball whenever he wants, Morris said.
He enjoys hanging out in the house with Morris and his wife, Danielle, and also loves playing with their three kids, Allison, Sam and Kate, and their other dog, Buster.
And just as much as Ozkar would still like to be working, his partner wishes he was still there too. The K-9 officer said he still turns around to check on the dog in the back of the cruiser.
“I’m always looking back for him,” Morris said. “Hearing the calls come over the radio for K-9 assistance — I really want to go.”
Above and beyond
This isn’t a surprise with Ozkar’s statistics in police work. Ozkar went above and beyond what was expected of him with his work.
“Without his assistance, there would have been a lot of people that got away, and there would have been a lot of drugs that would not have been found,” Morris said.
Ozkar shined during his first three years in police work with his first handler, Officer Ed Bowman. Exactly three years ago, Morris became his handler and Ozkar continued to up his game.
Over the last three years, Morris said Ozkar apprehended 52 suspects. He performed 803 narcotic searches and sniffed out 9,847 grams of marijuana, 212 grams of crack cocaine, 36 grams of cocaine, 422 narcotic pills, one gram of heroin and one gram of methamphetamine. He also found 133 pieces of drug paraphernalia.
Ozkar’s work also led to the department seizing $132,633 and five vehicles between May 2006 and May 2009. During that time he also assisted other agencies 121 times, cleared buildings or tracked people 32 times and took part in 32 K-9 demonstrations.
K-9 demonstrations are also something that Ozkar excelled in, as he has a unique personality compared to most police K-9s. Morris said Ozkar “is unusual in that he knows when it’s time to work and knows when it’s time to play.”
And when it’s time to play, Ozkar has one of the friendliest personalities that Alcoa, and Blount County, has ever seen of a K-9. Morris said, “he loves kids” and he never worries about Ozkar hurting any child that he comes into contact with. Ozkar charms anyone he comes into contact with, as long as they aren’t breaking the law.
“He has developed his own reputation for being just a great patrol dog and he had the perfect personality to do what we needed him to do,” Alcoa Police Chief Ken Burge said. “He’s going to be missed.”
Burge added that it was a “sad day” at the department when Morris announced that it was time for Ozkar to retire.
Arthritis takes toll
Morris’ tough decision to retire Ozkar came after several different arthritis treatments and pain management medications failed to keep Ozkar working comfortably. Last year, Ozkar began showing signs of pain in his back legs due to arthritis.
“I got him out to play at home, and he couldn’t put weight on his back leg,” Morris said.
Ozkar’s veterinarian put him on pain medication that he took “as needed,” but in August, he began having trouble with his other back leg, as well. By October, the department made the decision that Ozkar would only perform drug searches to keep his leg work at a minimum.
As months passed and Ozkar’s pain worsened, the veterinarian put him on him on a daily pain medication, but Ozkar’s stomach did not agree with the pill. In April, they x-rayed Ozkar’s back legs.
“Basically, there’s no cartilage left in his left knee,” Morris said. “It was obvious in the x-ray.”
He discussed options with a veterinarian, and the only two remedies were strong narcotic medication or surgery. Morris said both would be “too hard on him.”
“I don’t want him to have to work in pain,” Morris said of his partner. “I’d rather him have a couple of good years enjoying retirement.”
Burge said Morris and Ozkar have “set high standards” in K-9 work at Alcoa Police Department, and Morris will continue to be in charge of the department’s K-9 unit.
“It’s a sad day for us, but we hope he has a long and happy retirement,” Burge said of Ozkar.
Officer Matt Caldwell recently obtained his first K-9 at the department, Kona, and Burge said he hopes to see Kona grow to fit the standards Ozkar has set. He said the department eventually wants to get back to having two K-9s on the road, but that most likely won’t be possible in the upcoming year’s budget.
Canine officers serve and protect in Holland
Dennis R.J. Geppert/The Holland Sentinel The Holland Police Department will be holding a golf fundraiser to raise money for training and equipment for their newest K-9 team Holland Police Officer Joe Slenk and his partner Henry.
They’ve busted suspects for marijuana possession, stolen cash and purse-snatching.
They’re members of the Holland Police Department but wear no uniforms.
They’re the department’s two canines, Henry and Harrand.
“We view the canines as being such an important asset to patrol activities,” said Sgt. Drew Torres, canine unit supervisor for the Holland police. “To not have them would mean suspects getting away from police, a missing person possibly not getting found and narcotics going undetected.”
But city budget restrictions mean the department has had to seek alternative means of fundraising to equip and train the canines and their handlers.
So for the second year in a row, the department will host a golf outing to raise money for a new dog. This year’s outing will be 9 a.m. June 22 at Macatawa Legends Golf Course.
The department raised $15,000 for the canine unit last year, money that helped fund the addition of Henry to the force. Henry was purchased after Grego retired after seven years of service.
The department’s other dog, Harrand, likely will need to be replaced within the next year, Torres said.
A new dog can cost the department between $10,000 and $13,000, with additional costs for training the handler.
The dogs assist officers in a variety of searches, including narcotics, weapons and missing persons. They also provide protection for officers.
Patrol Capt. Jack Dykstra said the protection is invaluable.
“If we have to go into a dangerous situation and a canine can go in versus an officer going in first, it clearly assists us in keeping officers safe,” Dykstra said.
In 2008, the canine unit assisted Holland police in narcotics searches in which $74,575 worth of drugs were seized.
In February, Grego tracked a purse-snatcher who was hiding from police in a basement crawlspace.
In March, Harrand helped West Michigan Enforcement Team officers confiscate 20 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle.
Those are just a few examples, Torres said, of how the dogs aid police in investigations.
“A dog’s sense of smell is anywhere from 100 to 400 times more sensitive than a human’s,” he said. “It can make the difference between finding something and not finding something.”
Troopers patrol highways from the sky
If you’ve hit the roads this weekend, you’ve probably seen them out. The Colorado State Patrol is keeping a close eye on the highways all through this holiday weekend, but you may not see them.
By stopping drivers going over the limit, they hope to cut down the number of holiday highway deaths. “When people see cops on side of road, they drive like angels. When cops aren’t there, they drive like they normally would,” said State Trooper Mark Butaud.
He can clock speeders from above using a stopwatch. He does it by watching them drive past white stripes painted in the shoulder. “It’s basic. It’s a time versus distance equation. I see how long it takes them to cover a half mile.”
When he spots a driver going well over the speed limit, Butaud radios ahead to a state trooper waiting on the ground. He then follows the car until it’s pulled over. “We’re not doing it to make anyone angry. We do this to make the roads safer.”
There are signs along I-25 that warn drivers their “speed is being checked by aircraft”.
During Memorial Day weekend, the Colorado State Patrol runs a Target Zero Campaign. That means all 740 troopers are on the streets making sure there are no fatalities.
So far this weekend statewide, they’ve arrested 81 drivers for DUI and given more than 600 seatbelt tickets.
Former officer reinvents himself with a new public service career
The best part of law enforcement for former Oakley police Officer Jeff Gallegos was alleviating people’s fears and worries.
The 33-year-old Antioch native recalls meeting people at their lowest points and helping them through those life-changing experiences. Seeing the relief on their faces was the ultimate reward.
“It was fixing someone’s problem and helping them out in their time of need,” he said.
The massive head trauma and crushed pelvis he suffered during a police chase 2½ years ago ended Gallegos’ ability to help others through law enforcement. But he’s been able to find another public service venue that he finds equally rewarding.
Gallegos is now a counselor for the REACH Project in Antioch and Oakley, where he helps school-age children make positive choices and resist peer pressure. He spends half of his time at Antioch’s Marsh Elementary School, where he once attended school, and the rest running Oakley’s juvenile-diversion program, where he helps middle and high school students.
“His strengths are his compassion and caring for kids. He has a huge heart,” REACH Director Mickie Marchetti said. “Coming from that law enforcement background, he has strong communication skills and a good presence.”
At the time of the accident, Gallegos was a five-year veteran of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, which provides Oakley’s police services. He spent several days in a coma, and his brain injury affected his
short-term memory, equilibrium and coordination.Despite rehabilitation and physical therapy, Gallegos is still affected by the accident. He has mobility problems with his left leg and tight muscles on his right side.
Gallegos returned to patrol for a short time, but the demands of the job wore him down mentally and physically.
“I don’t think I have it in my body and mind anymore,” said Gallegos, who was also an officer in Danville, Martinez and West Contra Costa.
If the accident didn’t happen, Gallegos said he would have retired as an officer. Now, he can see the positive results of the experience.
“I think it was good in the long term. It was best for my family. It changed my priorities,” Gallegos said.
After the accident, it became harder for Gallegos to leave his family. His girls, ages 4 and 5, would often worry about their dad getting injured again when he left for a shift.
“Those feelings were very fresh,” he said.
His wife, Amy, said she was proud of how he has reinvented himself through the healing process. She describes his approach to life and work as patient and solution-driven.
“He has always had a desire to help people, and this allows him to keep doing that,” she said. “There is a saying: ‘Once a cop, always a cop.’ It is still in him.
“A lot of our friends are still cops. It has been a definite adjustment. It is not just a job. It is a lifestyle. It becomes a huge part of who you are.”
In the classroom and through individual discussions, Gallegos warns students of the dangers of drugs and alcohol and teaches them how to make the right decisions. He is also in the process of getting certified as an addiction specialist to gain more skills in his new career.
“Some of these kids have no positive influences,” he said. “If one out of 10 kids acts right, then it is worth it.”
Gallegos has always enjoyed serving his hometown community, although it has changed and grown over the years.
“Growing up around here, it was nice to still be around an area you can relate to,” he said.
Law enforcement gets tough on imposters
Like a lot of teens, the 16-year-old suburban boy got an allowance from his parents.
But he wasn’t spending his $50-a-week stipend on movies or candy. Instead, the Berwyn teen was buying Cook County sheriff’s clothing, hats, patches and even a badge.
“Some kids his age collect baseball cards. This kid collected badges and patches,” said Steve Patterson, a spokesman for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
Sheriff’s investigators seized the items in March, but did not arrest the boy after determining he didn’t impersonate an officer or intend any harm. Still, the case highlights how easy it’s been for nearly anyone to buy the gear necessary to pose as a cop.
Law enforcement agencies across the region have been on alert for impersonators after a 14-year-old boy embarrassed the Chicago Police Department in January. The youth — a former member of the police explorer program — walked into a South Side police station wearing a uniform. He was given a police radio, joined an officer in a patrol car and even handcuffed a suspect.
The breach resulted in disciplinary proceedings against seven Chicago Police officers as well as an extensive security review of the city’s police stations.
Thirteen of the city’s 25 police stations will get security upgrades such as new locks and keypad entry systems. The work began last week and will continue through August at a cost of $120,000, Lt. Maureen Biggane said. Eventually, the department will look at security cameras in the stations for possible improvements, she said.
The January incident also prompted the sheriff’s office to ramp up its vigilance for police impersonators, Patterson said. Both the sheriff and the Chicago Police Department have alerted police supply stores to scrutinize their customers.
The Berwyn teen came onto the sheriff’s radar after he visited Kale Uniforms in Chicago.
He had tried to buy a badge and was asked for identification. He provided an ID that did not match current sheriff’s IDs, Patterson said.
A uniform shop employee told investigators the boy spent $1,371.58 there from January to March. On some visits, he said he worked in court services. Another time, he said he directed traffic for the sheriff.
The boy told sheriff’s investigators his family was not involved in law enforcement, but he did participate in a Drug Abuse Resistance Education program at the Maywood courthouse when he was 13.
A search of his home turned up 91 Cook County sheriff’s patches, 12 sheriff’s uniform shirts, eight sheriff’s jackets, eight sheriff’s sweaters, five sheriff’s hats, a sheriff’s skull cap, a Cook County Crime Prevention Unit badge, a sheriff’s pocket directory, a sheriff’s employee incentive discount card, three falsified sheriff’s ID cards, a handcuff key and a sheriff’s clipboard.
The boy admitted he made up to 15 purchases at Kale and up to five purchases at other shops. He focused on Cook County sheriff’s paraphernalia because it was cheaper than Chicago Police gear. He said he purchased the badge on eBay, Patterson said.
On May 13, meanwhile, Sheriff’s Deputy Evangelos Kollias helped nab an alleged impersonator, Amar Atiq, after they spoke in a uniform shop on the South Side.
Atiq, 33, of Justice, allegedly said he was a Chicago cop detailed to a SWAT team in Arizona.
Kollias asked Atiq if he had ever worked in the 52nd police district and Atiq allegedly said yes. The problem for Atiq is that the 52nd district does not exist.
Atiq — who had bought handcuffs, pepper spray and a holster — was arrested for impersonating an officer and is being held in the Cook County Jail in lieu of $90,000 bail.
Share this Blog
