Bryan PD gets new K-9′s
Release the hounds! The Bryan Police Department has two new patrol teams on the streets. The K-9 Unit supervisor Sgt. Dean Swartzlander and the two new handlers traveled to Virginia Beach, Virginia to select and purchase two new police service dogs. The trio tested over twenty dogs and selected the two most driven and trainable police service dogs. Officer Hanks was partnered with K9 Kohn, a 2 year old Belgian Malinois, and Officer Hauke was partnered with K9 Falco, a 2 ½ year old Belgian Malinois.
The two police service dog teams completed a rigorous 16 week basic K-9 Handlers course. The lessons were physically demanding on both the police service dog and handler. The topics covered in the course are building searches, tracking, evidence recovery, narcotics searches, suspect apprehension, obedience, gunfire discipline, and tactical deployments. The teams successfully complete the 16 week course in May and obtained an International Police Dog Handlers Certification for Patrol Dog Applications and Narcotics Detection.
Dog days (and nights) of summer
BULLHEAD CITY – Ah, a dog’s life.
Most humans would relish being able to live a dogs life: sleeping, eating and playing all day.
But there are a few dogs that perhaps people would not like to trade lives with. Bingo and Kaia are police K-9 units. They perform difficult and often dangerous tasks that police officers do, and frequently can perform additional duties that officers can’t.
Officers Jill Menard and Eric Clevinger are assigned to the K-9 unit for the Bullhead City police department. Menard is Kaia’s trainer and handler and Clevinger is responsible for Bingo.
The dogs are part of Menard’s and Clevinger’s families; they live with their trainers and they travel to and from work together.
Both Bingo and Kaia are Belgian Malinois. The breed is slightly smaller than a German Shepherd, have less fur and have a longer snout. Kaia, 3, is approximately 70 pounds and Bingo around 50 pounds. Bingo is the senior dog on the force and is 6 years old.
Clevinger said Bingo is on a special diet for senior dogs.
“I recently put him on a food with glucosamine and chondrotin in it,” he said.
Clevinger had to retire his last police dog, Rocky, due to arthritis and wants to make sure Bingo doesn’t suffer the same affliction.
Working dogs eat a diet that is high in calories so that they have enough calories to burn off while they are on patrol.
On patrol
Bingo was on patrol Friday night. His job is a support role, Clevinger said.
“He is an extra tool for the department,” Clevinger explained. “He has a special function in supporting officers with their investigations.”
Friday, Bingo’s first call was to Lazy Harry’s, where he supported the officers as they questioned witnesses to a reported brawl between two Hispanic males and a group of Hells Angels. Bingo was able to get out of the car and assist Clevinger with crowd control. He supported officers by being on the lookout for suspicious activity and was ready to defend Clevinger and the other officers if need be.
His second call was to Laughlin Ranch to check for suspicious activity in a house that had the garage left open. Bingo and Clevinger went in to check for any prowlers; fortunately, Bingo gave the all clear.
When Bingo does not have his own assignment, he can be called out by other officers who need his assistance. Bingo and Kaia are trained to sniff out illegal drugs of all kinds, so they assist with vehicle searches and search warrants.
Additionally, they are trained to hunt down perpetrators.
Training
Both dogs participate in a regular training regimen. Twice a month the dogs work on fine-tuning their skills, both sniffing out drugs and searching for people.
During training, the dogs perform the same duties that they would in a real situation.
“To them, work is play, so it’s important to take their training just as seriously as we would when they are working,” Clevinger said.
Every time the dogs get in the car they know they are going to work and are prepared for any situation that might arise.
Cars
The police cruisers that Clevinger and Menard drive are specially equipped to transport the dogs. The backseat of each cruiser is equipped with a traveling spot for the dog. The backseat has been taken out and replaced with a non-slip mat that the dogs can stand or lay on.
The panels of both doors are gone, replaced with solid steel panels. The doors are on a remote switch system, so if Menard or Clevinger were in danger they could activate a switch and the doors would open, allowing the dogs to come to their rescue.
Perhaps most importantly the cars are fully equipped with a separate air vents to keep the dogs cool as well as fans in the backseat.
“People sometimes get mad at us for having the dogs in the car,” Menard said. “Then we have to explain that the dogs are in no danger of overheating.”
In addition to the climate control mechanism, the cars are equipped with an automatic alarm system should it get too hot inside. The sensors will automatically roll the windows down and will alert Menard and Clevinger that the car is too hot.
The cars are always running when the dogs are inside allowing all of the systems to work.
“It’s important to know that the dogs are not mistreated, they aren’t being left alone in a hot car,” Clevinger said. “Both Jill and I are animal lovers and we would never put our dogs in that situation.”
K-9 officer to be guest on sheriff’s BLAB TV show
An Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office K-9 officer will be a featured guest today on the sheriff’s weekly BLAB TV show.
The show, “Wanted Fugitives,” airs at 10 p.m. on BLAB TV. It was taped Friday at the network’s Pensacola studio, said the program’s director, Deshani Baines.
Hosts of the show questioned the deputy about the operation and use of sheriff’s dogs. The department is currently investigating a police dog attack on a local woman.
BLAB TV can be found on Cox Cable Channel 6 in Escambia County and on Mediacom Channel 38 in Santa Rosa County, according to the station’s Web site.
Spokane canine hero in need of help
A shot from a car-thief on March 17, 2009 ended K-9 police dog, Var’s, 8 year career. Happily, Var was well on the road to recovery, and even received a purple heart for his bravery, when a second health scare emerged to threaten his life.
It has been discovered that Var has a brain tumor that will end his life if not treated soon. He has been seen by WSU veterinarians who feel that he has a great chance at recovery if the surgery is completed in time. Unfortunately, the enormous bills that go along with brain surgery are falling on his current owner and former partner, Dan Lesser.
Lesser, along with other Spokane police officers, are banding together to raise funds to get Var the medical attention that he needs to survive. The officers feel that it is the least that they can do for a dog who put his life on the line for his partner. The car thief that shot him only did so because Var was between the suspect and the police officers. Now it’s time to pay him back for his bravery.
A private fund has been established at the Spokane Law Enforcement Credit Union, 924 W. Sinto, Spokane, WA 99205 – account number 4780. Any excess funds collected will be used to help care for other retired K-9 dogs in need of medical attention. The officers are in the process of creating a non-profit fund specifically for this purpose.
Var’s surgery has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday at Washington State University in Pullman, WA. Let’s hope that the surgery is a resounding success and that this brave dog can live out the rest of his life enjoying a happy and healthy retirement.
S.F.’s new top cop looks to be tailor-made
When he takes charge at San Francisco’s Hall of Justice later this summer, new Police Chief George Gascón will be the first outsider to lead the department since the 1970s – but those who’ve worked closely with him in Los Angeles and Arizona say he’s tailor-made for this unique city.
His controversial views on illegal immigration match Mayor Gavin Newsom’s. He’s weathered his share of scandal, political battles and budget cuts. He was an outsider when he took his current job as police chief in Mesa, Ariz. (“the largest city that you’ve never heard of,” said former Mesa City Councilwoman Claudia Walters), but eventually won over his officers.
Throw in the 55-year-old Gascón’s obsession with technology, the intellectualism that led him to earn a law degree and participate in a three-year Harvard project to improve policing, his concern for health that makes his breakfasts with city officials consist of fruit and tea, his love of surfing and his comfort in the spotlight, and maybe it’s an oddly perfect match.
“You’re a limelight city,” said Bryan Soller, president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Mesa. “He loves to be moving and grooving, and you guys do that out there. You guys make us look like Mayberry.”
Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton worked closely with Gascón for several years and agreed it’s a good fit.
“From the issues I understand you have in San Francisco, it’s the right person at the right time in the right place,” Bratton told The Chronicle. “I’ve worked in this business for 40 years, and he’s one of the best there is.”
Gascón was raised in Cuba, the only child of his parents, Maria and Marcos, a mechanic who fixed trucks at a beer brewery. Marcos Gascón initially supported the revolution led by Fidel Castro.
“But then he realized democracy was not to be and became an opponent of it,” his son recalled. “Police controlled every aspect of your life.”
Gascón described seeing police abuse of civilians in the streets and his neighbors’ widespread fear of the police and government in general. The disillusioned Gascóns joined extended family in Los Angeles when George Gascón was 13. He said his childhood led him to become a strong advocate for human rights and to hold firm beliefs about what is appropriate police conduct and what is not.
He said that belief was strengthened by weathering the LAPD’s Ramparts scandal, the widespread corruption in the anti-gang unit that rocked the department in the 1990s. Gascón was a captain at the time and was chosen to join a small group to look at the failures in management and supervision that allowed the corruption to spread.
“Good, hardworking, ethical police officers are some of the most honorable people who walk the face of the earth,” he said. “If you’re a hardworking, ethical officer, you’ll have my full support. If you’re not, we’ll have to talk.”
Several of his Mesa colleagues said that was a theme of his tenure.
“He’s a stickler for protecting rights,” said Mayor Scott Smith. “He will enforce the law without apology, but he also is absolutely committed to doing it in a way that recognizes that law enforcement is useless unless you understand that constitutional rights are the most important thing.”
Reigning with transparency
Walters, the vice mayor when Gascón was hired, said the chief was concerned that everything in his department “pass the headline test.”
“He’s very tight about making sure you do things on the up-and-up – no hanky-panky,” she said. “He doesn’t even want the appearance of it.”
Occasionally, that’s meant angering police officers when he goes straight to the media upon hearing of potential misconduct. Earlier this month, police officers and paramedics were called to a Mesa hotel where a pregnant woman was experiencing a miscarriage. The officials were confused about what to do with the fetus and wound up flushing it down the toilet.
Gascón immediately held a press conference – before police union leaders had a chance to investigate what had happened and prompting them to call the chief’s conference premature. No criminal charges are expected to be filed against the officers.
Gascón said he is “obligated to be transparent” and doesn’t regret going to the media. He said he often tells his officers that if they give him a good story, he’ll take that to the media, too.
In stark contrast to the press-shy current San Francisco Chief Heather Fong, Gascón is known for having a tight relationship with the media – and is even engaged to be married at the end of this year to a reporter for the Spanish-language TV channel, Univision. (The couple are house-hunting in San Francisco, and she may move from Los Angeles at some point.)
A reputation for change
Going to the media isn’t the only thing that’s angered Mesa police officers. They were resistant to Gascón when he arrived from the LAPD and quickly began shaking up the department – though they are now big supporters of his.
“He’s done a lot of good here,” said Stoller, the police union president. “Your department better get ready, though. He’s going to come in there, and he’s going to clean house and he’s going to come up with these new programs. The best thing I can tell the guys there is try them before you get really upset.”
In Mesa, Gascón moved detectives out of police headquarters and into district stations, which many say helped improve the homicide clearance rate from 55 percent when he arrived to above 90 percent now. San Francisco’s is notoriously low, with just a quarter of homicides leading to prosecution.
Gascón also created a “fusion center” where public safety officials from around the region work together and brought in the program Compstat, which he also used in Los Angeles, to track crime statistics and deploy officers to high-crime areas. Those initiatives are credited with lowering the number of homicides in Mesa from 26 in 2006 to just three so far this year.
He did this despite major budget cuts to his department three years in a row. Mesa is unusual in that it levies no property tax and has had to cut the budgets of just about every department.
Change and innovation have marked Gascón’s entire career, and he’s now participating in a three-year project at Harvard to study how to improve policing. The project involves 15 police chiefs, and Gascón is pairing with researcher Todd Foglesong to study how to reduce the cost of policing while increasing performance.
Foglesong said he’s enjoyed hearing about Gascón’s discussions with his daughter (he has two, 25 and 27 years old, from a previous marriage) who’s finishing law school. Gascón’s daughter is unsure whether to pursue immigration law or take a job in a corporate firm.
“He’s never told her what he thinks is best – he’s helped her figure out what she wants to do,” Foglesong said. “I think that applies to his vision of public safety. The police department doesn’t necessarily know what’s best, and it has to work with the community to come up with what is best.”
Sanctuary city controversy
But what got the most attention during Gascón’s stay in Mesa was his pitched battle with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio, who dubs himself the toughest sheriff in America, led sweeps of Mesa libraries, City Hall and other institutions looking for illegal immigrants so he could turn them over to federal authorities for deportation.
During one two-day sweep of Mesa last June that Arpaio dubbed “Operation Ghost,” Gascón had authorized the creation of “free speech zones” for demonstrators and turned his own officers out in force to keep the peace – or, as Arpaio’s allies saw it, to make the sheriff’s staff look puny by comparison.
In April, Gascón testified on Capitol Hill against the sheriff’s sweeps and faced his own mini-scandal when it emerged that an advocacy group in favor of open borders paid for his trip to Washington. The chief then paid back the money and took the days as vacation time.
Gascón said he believes undocumented immigrants shouldn’t face arrest by local police just for being here illegally because that prevents them from reporting crime and allows gangs to take over entire neighborhoods.
“But if you’re here committing crimes other than the undocumented crossing of the border, I believe the police should use every tool in the toolbox,” he said.
Many advocates and supervisors in San Francisco, though, have slammed Newsom for his new policy of turning over undocumented youth arrested for felonies to federal authorities, regardless of whether they’re found guilty. Gascón said he doesn’t believe in a blanket policy for undocumented youth and that turning them over upon arrest would depend on their age and the severity of their alleged crime.
“If the juvenile commits a homicide … I don’t distinguish at that point between someone who’s 18 and someone who’s 16 or 17,” he said. “On the other hand, if you have a 9- or 10-year-old and he commits a crime, he should be looked upon differently.”
His refusal to arrest people just for being here illegally fits in well with San Francisco’s sanctuary city policy, but polarized Arizona. Arpaio declined to comment for this story, saying through a spokesman that if he has nothing nice to say about somebody, he’d rather not say anything.
J.D. Hayworth, a former Arizona congressman who is now a conservative radio personality, did not hesitate to share his thoughts on Gascón.
“You can sit back and say, ‘Oh yeah, now this all makes sense.’ This has been a big audition to get the gig in the city by the bay,” Hayworth said. “To the extent San Francisco was searching for a cover guy for the misguided sanctuary city policy, you found him in George Gascón.”
A need for ‘vision’
The San Francisco Police Commission was immediately impressed with Gascón after interviewing him last month. Commission President Theresa Sparks said that not only do his views on immigration align with the commission’s, but his track record of change and innovation is desperately needed for the SFPD.
“I think many departments like this are inbred – an individual teaches the next generation the way they did it,” she said. “What we want him to do is develop strategies and a vision for the department based on best practices, not based on the political whims of the city.”
But the city may not have him for long. Gascón has been rumored to want the top job in the LAPD and was in the running for it in 2002, losing out to Chief Bratton.
He will make $292,000 annually when he starts his job. The chief of police has no contract and serves at the pleasure of the mayor and Police Commission.
Asked at the City Hall press conference how long he will stay in San Francisco, he said only, “This is a great city – I’ve been made to feel extremely welcome and I’m very glad to be back in California.”
Officials in Mesa are disappointed he’s leaving after three years.
“I was hoping he’d stay at least another two years. I teased him that he’s like the Rick Pitino of police chiefs,” said Dennis Kavanaugh, chair of the City Council’s public safety committee, referring to the basketball coach who’s led numerous teams.
“It’s the way it is,” Kavanaugh said, “when you have very successful people.”
Matier & Ross: Newsom’s choice for police chief works out just fine for mayor’s political ambitions. B1
George Gascón
Age: 55
Childhood: Born and raised in Cuba, moved to Los Angeles at 13.
Current position: Police chief of Mesa, Ariz.
Previous experience: Los Angeles Police Department, 1978-81 and 1987-2006. Spent most of the ’80s managing a car dealership and working as a volunteer police officer. Promoted to assistant chief in 2003 to oversee patrol and detective functions.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in history from Cal State Long Beach, law degree from Western State University. Member of the California Bar Association. Participating in study of police innovation at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Military service: Army, 1972-75. Honorably discharged as a sergeant.
Family: Divorced, two adult daughters. Engaged to be married.
Family and friends keep Trooper Brinkerhoff’s spirit alive
“It’s a dangerous job, to be a police officer. But when it got too hard for us, that’s when David’s unit showed up,” Nigrelli said.
Trooper Brinkerhoff was a member of the New York State police mobile response team. It is the same team that helped capture Ralph ‘Bucky’ Phillips, in 2006.
“From a little kid, he always know what he wanted to do. He worked his way through the ranks,” said Brinkerhoff’s brother, Mike. “Dave may be gone, but his memory lives on. And today, his memory runs on,” said State Police Captain Steve Nigrelli.
500 people raced to remember a life cut short. State trooper David Brinkerhoff was killed two years ago when his unit was searching for a fugitive in Margaretville, New York. He was just 29-years-old.
The money from this event will go toward a high school scholarship in Brinkerhoff’s memory, and to the Town of Boston recreation department.
“We grew up on these fields, we played baseball, soccer, football. This is what raised us,” Brinkerhoff said.
The day Bucky Phillips was caught was the same day Brinkerhoff’s daughter was born. Brinkerhoff returned home for her birth. Seven months later, he would never return from a different manhunt. Brinkerhoff’s wife and daughter weren’t able to make it to Saturday’s race.
The trooper Brinkerhoff foundation also raises money for law enforcement and emergency responders, as well as the Special Olympics.
“DAVID LEFT HIS OWN MEMORY. THROUGH THIS WE CAN HELP OTHERS FURTHER,” said Mike.MIKE BRINKERHOFF SAYS HIS BROTHER ALWAYS WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE. THROUGH THE FOUNDATION, BRINKERHOFF CONTINUES TO HELP EVEN AFTER HIS DEATH.
Link“Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it out here. I know they like to spend time together. They have their special father’s day event planned,” Mike Brinkerhoff said.
“Best career”
Ever since she was 11 years old, Kim Hart wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. At 29, she has been a proud member of the Illinois State Police Department for two years.
Hart grew up in Indianapolis and has lived in Vermilion County for the past seven years.
Only 6 percent of the state police force are women.
Master Sgt. John Thompson, who has been with the department for 13 years, said, “Trooper Hart and our other women officers are excellent employees, and they have made substantial contributions to the department.”
Right now Hart is assigned to road duty in Vermilion and Edgar counties. However, she may take assignments in any area of District 10, which includes Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby and Vermilion counties.
She has already completed two years with the state police, and has the goal to someday transfer to the investigations division, which is her special interest. Some of the other areas that a state trooper may be assigned to include: K-9 handler, crime scene/forensics, commercial motor vehicle inspector, and riverboat officer.
“When I was in sixth grade, my older brother joined the Police Explorer volunteer program in Indianapolis,” Hart said. “I was fascinated with everything he was doing, especially the investigation part. From that point on my goal was to have a career in law enforcement.
“Some people thought I couldn’t do it, and many of my friends wondered why I would put myself through such rigorous training,” Hart said. “My dad still worries about my safety today.”
Staying in shape
Hart has always been very athletic. During high school she was involved in cross-country, track, swimming, gymnastics and softball. Today she regularly works out at the local gym, and she is training for a triathlon.
State police officers have to keep in shape because they are required to pass a physical fitness test every year. This test includes such maneuvers as sit-ups, running, arm reaches, and bench presses (based on body weight).
Hart also continues to improve her marksmanship skills. She shoots competitively, and she has qualified for the governor’s list of the top 20 marksmen in Illinois.
Hart admitted that her 26 weeks of police academy training were grueling.
“It’s what I imagine that basic training in the military would be like,” she said. “We had to walk the halls in a straight line and not make eye contact with anyone. We had uniform inspection every day, and all we did was drill, study, sleep and eat.
“After all the work I went through to be admitted to the academy, I wasn’t going to give up at that point,” Hart said. “I knew I was heading into the best career I could ever have.”
Starting salary for a first-year trooper in Illinois is $50,376, and it increases several times during one’s career. A state trooper is eligible for retirement after serving for 26 years and eight months. There are also excellent benefits that come with the job.
Thompson was quick to point out, however, that the job also carries with it a tremendous amount of responsibility and accountability.
A hard job
“Being a state trooper is not an easy job,” Thompson said. “It’s both physically and mentally demanding. There is a lot more procedure to follow, and paperwork, than most people would imagine.”
Also, every interaction that a trooper has with a motorist is videotaped and audiotaped, and then reviewed by his or her supervisor.
“I have the highest respect for every officer out there in the field,” Thompson said.
Hart has worked at a paying job in various offices and eating establishments since she was 14 years old. To prepare for entry into the police academy and a career in law enforcement, she gained experience by volunteering and working in that field.
She volunteered with the Police Explorers and also the civilian volunteer police. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Indiana University in Indianapolis.
Hart then worked in corrections for two years, serving on the quick response team and emergency squad for a state prison. She also served with the Paris police department for nine months.
Admission into the state police academy is very competitive. Hart was one of 72 chosen for the cadet class out of several thousand applicants. Selection is based on scores on the physical fitness test, a written suitability (psychological) test, an oral inter-view and a background check.
After 26 weeks, she completed her training at the Illinois State Police Academy in Springfield. Only 63 members of Hart’s class of 72 graduated as sworn officers. She then completed 12 weeks in the officer field training program before going out on her own.
Gets respect
Hart doesn’t feel that she is treated any differently by her co-workers or by motorists because she is a woman.
“I believe that if a woman officer keeps a professional appearance and demeanor, then she will be treated with respect,” Hart said.
While she’s on duty, Hart carries a handgun, baton, handcuffs, and chemical spray. She also wears a bulletproof vest and large-brim hat — one of the identifying marks of an Illinois state trooper.
She drives the familiar white-and-yellow state police vehicle. When she is not being summoned to a crash site or to some other emergency situation, she is free to assist motorists who are in trouble, or to give tickets to violators. Hart said she gives more tickets for speeding and not wearing a seatbelt than for any other violation.
“Everybody isn’t cut out for law enforcement work,” Hart said, “but it has always been my dream — and I don’t give up on my dreams. This job is important because it’s all about keeping people safe.”
Stabbed police dog spends time at playfield Friday
The folding knife had a 3 1/2-inch blade. Police said the man holding it was at gunpoint, but kept yelling, “Let’s do this!”
A Taser dropped the suspect, who’d been followed Monday night after allegedly stealing a ball from a Tukwila supermarket. But officers said he kept fighting when the electrical current stopped. A police dog latched onto the back of his head.
Officers said he stabbed the German shepherd’s neck, too quickly for them to stop him. Blood spewed from the dog’s wound.
“I thought he might bleed out and die right there,” his handler, Officer James Sturgill said. “He let out a blood-curdling scream when it happened. And to hear it on audio, it’s rough. � It’s like watching one of your kids get hurt.”
Friday afternoon, Sturgill’s 8-year-old son stood by a Tukwila police car as Gino, with a blue-and-white bandage around his neck, leaped out and ran with a red Frisbee.
It was the first time he’d been to his usual park since the attack. On Thursday, police received word that the nearly dozen stitches in Gino’s neck were healing properly. He hasn’t been skittish, and they expect Gino to return to work July 4.
“It did not hit an artery, did not hit anything vital really,” Sturgill said of the wound. “The amount of blood he lost was the blood in the muscle.”
Sturgill, a nearly seven-year veteran with Tukwila Police and the department’s eighth K9 handler, started patrol with Gino on Nov. 30, 2008.
Born in Germany, Gino was purchased from a kennel owned by an Everett police officer and completed the State Criminal Justice Training Commission-approved 400-hour K9 course before hitting the streets.
His first capture came in January. The Monday incident was his 13th.
“He’s the one that got injured,” Sturgill said, “instead of one of us.”
About 8 p.m., Tukwila police were called to the Tukwila Trading Company in at 3725 S. 144th St., where a man reportedly shoplifted and assaulted a security guard who tried to stop him.
That man, Kevin Randall Pegues, 39, has a history of mental illness, drug dependency, drug dealing and has been a gang member, according to court documents.
This week, he was charged with second-degree assault, fourth-degree assault and harming a police dog — a class C felony.
Pegues jumped over a fence with razor wire and another fence with barbed wire before ending up in an enclosed ball field. Police, who believed he was on drugs, yelled for him to get on the ground, but Pegues yelled challenges to officers, according to court documents.
Sturgill straddled him around his lower back and used his body weight to stabilize Pegues to the ground. Another officer reported having his left foot on Pegues’ back when the Taser cycle ended. Police say he still fought to get up.
After stabbing Gino, police said Pegues made another violent stabbing motion. One of four nearby officers, Jay Seese, shot him twice.
“Even after being shot, Pegues tried getting up and had to be ordered to stay on the ground,” according to a probable-cause statement.
After Gino was stabbed, “that’s what I was most concerned with to tell you the honest-to-God truth,” Sturgill said.
Though police thought Gino might die, the dog was able to walk himself to the police car.
Sturgill went to a Tukwila vet, but was told he need to go to VCA Five Corners Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Burien.
While at the first clinic, an undercover King County Sheriff’s deputy who heard the report pulled up and asked how he could help.
“He jumped in my driver’s seat and got me to Five Corners in about three minutes,” Sturgill said. A Burien officer was waiting there and held the door open — and Gino ran in himself.
“The vet immediately checked his eyes and checked the wound and said, ‘I think he’s going to be fine,’” said Sturgill, 32. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Same with his family.
Though the Tukwila department bought Gino a kennel for Sturgill’s backyard, it was used for only a few months. He now spends each night at the foot of Sturgill’s bed and his 8-year-year-old son, Jacob, said Gino is his best friend.
Sturgill’s wife and 14-year-old daughter, who count Gino as part of the family, were relieved when he was released from the vet about 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Tukwila officers who heard the audio of Gino’s blood-curdling scream were still concerned, so Sturgill brought him in Thursday night.
“He was back to his old ways, barking at everybody,” Sturgill said. “He let everybody know who the tough guy is.”
Oklahoma SWAT team competition draws police teams from around world
The bullets were real, but the “hostages” at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa didn’t spill any blood.
Hundreds of police officers have been testing sharpshooting and teamwork in a SWAT team competition that ends today. Squads from across the country and parts of Europe made the trip to Oklahoma for the U.S. National SWAT Championships and were tough opponents for the local teams, said officer Andy Hudgens, a Muskogee police team member.
“The learning curve is straight up. The people here, they’ve got the best training and the best gear,” he said. “You learn a lot by watching them compete.”
Competitors were forced to think on their feet and act as a team, sometimes using unfamiliar equipment in unseasonably hot weather, Hudgens said. The physical toll was compounded because live ammunition was involved, he said.
One challenge involved a simulated gunman who had taken control of a school bus. After a sniper shot him, entry teams swarmed the bus and hauled two dummy victims to safety.
Capt. Chad Farmer, who oversees Muskogee’s team, said the event reinforced training for the squad, which responds to roughly 20 calls a year.
Accuracy became a necessity in the competition after the team mapped its tactical maneuvers, Hudgens said, noting stiff penalties for a missed target.
“Everyone has tactics, but marksmanship is what’s going to make or break a team,” he said.
Carlisle K-9 police team among nation’s best
Carlisle K-9 officer Ryan Anderson and his canine partner Misty finished in the top 10 at a national drug dog competition earlier this month in Colorado.
Sgt. Anderson and Misty earned ninth place out of more than 50 of the nation’s best drug dogs at the United States Police Canine Association national drug dog detector trial May 31-June 2 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Iowa dogs took six of the top 10 spots, Anderson said.
“You’re pretty much getting the best of the best of drug dogs,” Anderson said. Misty had to search three indoor rooms for two hides in 10 minutes or less as part of the competition. She also had 10 minutes to find two hides in five outdoor vehicles. She was looking for hides that contained heroin, cocaine, marijuana or methamphetamines.
A panel of judges critiqued Misty and Anderson’s search techniques. Her combined time for both searches was just more than 5 minutes. They scored 192.83 points out of 200.
Misty is an 8-year-old black Labrador female. She came from the Iowa Rescue League and was trained by Dennis George owner of Midwest Canine in Des Moines. George and his dog traveled to the competition with Anderson and Misty.
“They did just an awesome job,” George said of Anderson and Misty’s performance. “The dogs that go out to this national certification competition, they’re outstanding dogs, and to finish in the top 10 is just a huge honor for anybody that does that.”
Misty’s high drive to work and Anderson’s dedication to putting in the hours of training makes the pair a good team, George said.
Misty has been with the Carlisle Police Department since June of 2004. Anderson has used her to search cars, homes and schools. Together they have found about $154,000 worth of drugs.
