Police dog is ready for the street

Gonzo, the Evansville Police Department’s newest K-9, was like most dogs when Sgt. Brent Hoover got the 17-month-old German shepherd last November.

The dog was enthusiastic, playful and a little unpredictable, but also quick to bond to his new handler.

Eight weeks later, Gonzo is on the verge of graduating from a rigorous course of training designed to meet U.S. Police Canine Association (USPCA) standards and prepare him for duty on the city’s streets.

Where once Hoover kept a close eye on him to keep him from chasing a rabbit or darting off unexpectedly, Gonzo now follows commands (given in German).

Called back from chasing a “suspect” — officer Zach Elfreich — Gonzo turns around immediately and returns to Hoover’s side.

“Its like a kid getting older, you give him more and more freedom,” Hoover said.

The secret to training them? An oblong rubber chew toy about the size of a tennis ball and attached to a short piece of heavy cord.

Tossed into the air and bouncing along the ground, it mimics the movements of a small animal such as a rabbit.

“It stimulates their hunting drive,” Hoover said.

Praise from Hoover might be nice, but it’s hard for a fun-loving German shepherd to resist a chance to play with such a toy.

“It’s the ultimate reward,” Hoover said.

A successful completion of a training task can bring a toss of the toy for the dog to retrieve.

The dogs are trained to find and retrieve evidence, climb ladders and steps, locate hidden people, go through narrow spaces, such as culverts, bite and hold onto someone until ordered to release and jump tall fences, shrubs and other obstacles.

They can chase and stop chasing on command and are conditioned not to bite unless commanded to do so.

The training doesn’t stop after the initial eight weeks, Hoover said. The dogs are certified annually in their skills at regional USPCA trials, and officers continue to work with the dogs throughout their time together.

The Evansville Police Department typically has nine K-9 officers, but the death of Elfreich’s dog, Lord, earlier this month has left a hole in the ranks.

Officers still haven’t settled on a dog to replace Lord. Finding just the right one has been a lengthy process, but no more so than any time the department has looked for a new dog. Officers often look at 20 to 30 dogs before finding one.

After testing 10 dogs, Hoover said, officers thought they had found one, but he turned out to have a knee condition.

“We’re not going to take any dog. Some departments will just take anything,” Hoover said.

He said officers plan to go back to the kennel the department usually works with and try more dogs in February.

The dogs are European-bred German shepherds, favored by police because in Europe they’re bred as working dogs, giving them a more muscular build.

However, because they are imported, they can cost as much as $7,000, Hoover said.

But he said it is worth it. Officers typically use the dogs to apprehend suspected felons and suspects who are believed to be armed. They are also used to locate and retrieve evidence.

“The dogs make our job so much safer for officers,” he said. “They can clear a school or warehouse a lot faster than we can. They are a great locating tool for finding and apprehending a suspect.”

This year’s USPCA regional trials will be held in Evansville, June 9-11, bringing K-9s and their handlers from as far as Ohio and Eastern Kentucky, Hoover said.

By Mark Wilson

LINK/PICS

Evendale Detective Has Health Warning For Others

A life or death warning from a Tri-State police officer. It’s not about protecting your property or your family, but your heart.

Evendale police detective Doug Abrams is known for putting his heart into tackling some of the city’s toughest cases, but he had no idea his heart was in jeopardy.

“Basically, the doctor said we don’t see this in 40-year-olds that are walking around,” Abrams said. “We see this in 40-year-olds at their autopsy when we’re trying to figure out why they died.”

Abrams had no idea anything could be wrong. He works out five days a week and has never smoked.

“I felt fine, no chest pain, no tingling, nothing like that,” Abrams said.

But two weeks after that routine checkup, Abrams was undergoing a triple bypass. There’s a scar on his arm where doctors took an artery to fix three others that were 90 percent blocked.

According to the American Heart Association, almost 150,000 Americans killed by cardiovascular disease each year are under the age of 65. And one in 30 people under 40 has heart disease.

A stress test is how Abram’s problem was found. That screening is recommended at the age of 45 or for anybody 35 and over who may have one risk factor for heart disease, including smoking, people with a family history of heart disease or those with high blood pressure or cholesterol.

“It’s definitely a second chance for me,” Abrams said.

And now he has a message for others. “What have you done to make sure that what’s happened to me doesn’t happen to you?”

LINK/VIDEO

Officer talks about surviving chase

An officer is speaking about surviving a near deadly attack by a suspect who pinned him against his cruiser with a stolen car.

“Our job is demanding, and it requires a lot of us, and we do what we do,” said George Guillen, after returning to his home Friday morning. He had spent the early part of the morning recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital after pursuing the driver of a stolen car earlier that day.

The police chase began in Miami Gardens and at 2:25 a.m. Police cornered the stolen 1998 gold Nissan Maxima at a dead end on 23rd Street and Northwest Seventh Avenue. That’s when, police said, the female driver, who they identified as 26-year-old Danielle Patricia Woodard, tried to make a getaway. “The driver of the vehicle accelerated backwards, striking one of our officers, pinning one of our officers and causing some serious injuries,” said Sergeant Javier Ortiz, Vice President of Miami Fraternal Order.

“I’m lucky I made it home to my family so I’m doing my best,” said Guillen.

Miami Police Officer Jeff Giordano said Woodard’s actions could have lead to more than the death of Guillen, a two-year rookie with Miami Police. “She could have killed herself, she could have killed the passenger of the vehicle, and she could of killed a police officer, so her disregard for life would have carried over to any citizen that was walking the streets,” he said.

The driver damaged three Miami Police vehicles, and police had to use a Taser to bring her down when she tried to flee the scene on foot. She has an extensive criminal record, including grand theft auto.

Both the driver and passenger, 40-year-old Alfred Leroy Robinson, were taken into custody. Police have charged Woodard with attempted first degree murder on a law enforcement officer, fleeing police, reckless driving, grand theft auto, possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia. Her male passenger, meanwhile, was charged with trespass in a conveyance and resisting arrest without violence.

Miami Fire Rescue transported the Guillen, who is also Marine veteran, to Jackson Ryder Trauma Center where he received treatment neck and leg injuries. “I’m doing so far so good, I just need to rest and take some medication, and hopefully I’ll make a full recovery,” he explained.

LINK/VIDEO