Police dogs show their skills
Reprinted from October 31, 2007 edition of The Courier



The suspect ran as Findlay Police Patrolman Bryon Deeter yelled: "Stop or I'll send the dog."

The man, perhaps not believing Deeter was serious, or maybe doubting the dog would do as commanded, looked over his shoulder but kept running. Deeter repeated the warning and then released his partner, "Spike."

Immediately, the Belgian Malinois made a beeline for the man, then halted on a dime when the suspect stopped and Deeter called him off.

But when the bad guy took off again, Spike did too, quickly catching up and grabbing the man by the arm, stopping the bad guy in his tracks.

The impressive apprehension came during a public demonstration of police K-9 units at the Hancock County fairgrounds on Tuesday.

About 35 dogs and their handlers, from law enforcement agencies across Ohio, have been using the fairgrounds as a training site this week, and showed off some of their skills during a 30-minute demonstration at the north grandstand.

About 100 people attended.

The four-day training workshop, held in conjunction with the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA), was hosted by the Findlay Police Department and the Hancock County Sheriff's Office, which collectively have four dogs.

Besides Deeter and Spike, the sheriff's office currently has a kennel of three dogs: Deputy Fred Smith and "Becky," Deputy Ron Digby and "Caikli," and Special Deputy Tony Abbott and "Beau."

Sheriff's Sgt. Matt Kinsinger said the police and sheriff's handlers and dogs already get together to train locally, but said this week's workshop is more intensive, and allows the K-9 units to learn from others. It also allows the K-9 units to obtain annual certifications that are required by law.

It is the first time the NAPWDA training has been held in Hancock County.

"It's really an opportunity for them to learn new techniques from others that will make them more effective," Kinsinger said.

NAPWDA Master Trainer Brian Woods, a retired Fremont police officer, said very little of the training this week will be done in the classroom.

Instead, trainers have been creating realistic scenarios where handler and dog are put into situations they would find on the streets.

"It is extremely important for a police dog to train in the types of place that they will encounter," he said. "If you put a dog into a setting that he has never been subjected to, he may not react the way you want him to react."

Fairground buildings that would be filled with livestock or exhibits during fair time are being used to teach dogs and handlers how to conduct efficient building searches. The open areas of the southern portion of the fairgrounds, where parking normally takes place, are being used to practice tracking bad guys or finding missing persons.

Semi-trailers and old cars have been brought to the fairgrounds and are being planted with illegal drugs or explosives.

Woods said even though all of the K-9 units have undergone extensive training in the past, they must continue to train on a regular basis or the dogs will lose their skills.

"The dogs are not a computer chip that can just be programmed and forgotten," he said. "You have to go over it and over it to make sure they get it."

Besides the suspect apprehension demonstrated by Deeter and Spike and others, spectators on Tuesday were shown how the K-9 units search for drugs and bombs, and evidence that may be left behind at a crime scene.

In one exercise, Woods buried his car keys in the dirt in the arena at the north grandstand. Within minutes, a police dog was led to the general area to begin a search. After a few quick sniffs, the dog sat down beside the hidden keys.

To reward the dog's efforts, his handler threw out a plastic toy which the dog quickly grabbed. The handler playfully patted his partner.

"That's the dog's paycheck," Woods explained to the crowd. "That's what he works for."

Earlier Tuesday, Woods, who had been a handler of three dogs during his police career and now travels worldwide as a police dog trainer, said K-9 units can be a major asset to a law enforcement agency. They are one of the only tools police have that can return money to the community they serve.

While the initial cost is $10,000 to $12,000 for a dog and training, and it takes about $7,000 a year for boarding and continuing education, a police dog can pay dividends to a community through the sale of vehicles identified and seized because of illegal drug activity.

But police dogs can be of far greater value if they help save the life of an officer or find a person who may be lost.

"What's a life worth?" Woods said. "If a dog finds one missing person isn't that worth the price?"