| APD K-9 Patrol Volunteer Newsletter |
| December 2004 |
| Volume 1, Number 2 |
| Volunteer Update |
| Most of the 2nd K-9 Class graduates have signed on to be the first official K-9 Patrol Volunteers. A total of 18 volunteers are on the roster, which means that over 85% of the graduates are continuing their relationship with K-9. Training the police dogs in new environments is extremely helpful! If anyone knows of a building that could be used for nighttime K-9 training, please contact Officer Lahr. The building would need to be unoccupied at the time we use it, and keys would need to be made available. We have a lock box at the K-9 office in which we keep all building keys and alarm codes. Handlers will lock the doors and activate any alarms upon leaving the building. |
| Arrest Highlights |
| Arrests made in the month of November include: |
| Officer White & Bandit assisted officers at the Highland Mall during a high-risk traffic stop. Two male suspects were wanted for a burglary and the car was stopped. Bandit helped deter the suspects from running or resisting. The two men were arrested without any problems. Officer Ferris & Kozmo located a suspect wanted for violating a family violence protective order. The male suspect violated the order on Colony Creek Blvd. in Ida sector. A patrol officer stopped the suspect, but as he was being handcuffed, he escaped from the officer. Officer Ferris and Kozmo searched the area, and the suspect was found hiding in a backyard against a wooden fence line. He was taken into custody without further incident. Officer Mierl & Chase found an auto theft suspect in the 9600 block of Great Hills Trail. A male suspect attempted to steal a vehicle and ran from police when they arrived. A foot pursuit ensued and officers lost the suspect. Officer Mierl and Chase searched the area and found the suspect hiding deep inside a bush. Patrol officers were a few feet from the hidden suspect, but could not see him. Chase was able to sniff him out! |
| Community - National |
| Timber, a police K-9 in Duluth, Minnesota, was going blind and his handler, Officer Michelle Rafferty was prepared to pay for his $2,500 surgery out of her own pocket. Their story ran in the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, and readers were so touched that they sent over $20,000 to help the German Shepherd. Timber is recuperating wonderfully from the surgery and should be back on the job within a few weeks. As for the extra money donated, it is going into a fund for the K-9 Unit to buy necessary equipment, etc. |
| K-9 Patrol Unit News |
| The K-9 Unit has officially increased from six dog teams to seven! We will be posting a notice to all interested officers in the Department who must then apply. Once the names are gathered, a background investigation will be conducted, and they will appear before a K-9 selection board. The board normally consists of the unit Lieutenant, K-9 Sergeant, and the K-9 unit trainers. The new handler will then begin orientation and classroom training with Officer Lahr. Once the basic classes are completed, a new dog will be tested and selected. We will be very busy for the first half of next year! |
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| APD K-9 PATROL INFORMATION CONTACT: Officer DJ Lahr darrin.lahr@ci.austin.tx.us EDITOR: Rose Kaminski rose@k9crimefighters.com WE’RE ON THE WEB! For more information: www.k9crimefighters.com |
| Last updated January 4, 2006 |
| Some Dog Facts from the 2003 Guiness Book of World Records: The honor for Most Successful Police Dog goes to Trepp, who is credited with more than 100 arrests (up to 1979) and the recovery of over $63 million worth of narcotics. A black Labrador named Iowa made 155 drug seizures worth a record $2.4 billion. Iowa works for the Port of Miami. |
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| Certifications |
| Annual K-9 Patrol certifications are coming up. Here’s what the testing covers: 1. Obedience - dog must sit, heel, stay, and down by voice and hand signals. The handler and a third party conducts gunfire during the test. The dog must ignore the gunfire and follow commands. 2. Building Search - dog must find a hidden person inside a building while the handler moves tactically during the search. The dog must indicate to the handler where the person is located and the handler must inform the judging official. 3. Area Search - dog must find a hidden person in an outside area approximately the size of a city block. The dog must indicate to the handler where the person is located and the handler must inform the judging official. 4. Criminal Apprehension - dog must engage a helper upon command from the handler and release the apprehension by voice command only. The handler then will “frisk” the helper for weapons. The helper will attack the handler and the dog must apprehend the helper without command. The handler then “frisks” the suspect again; this time the helper will not attack the handler. The dog must not apprehend the helper this time, but stay in the down position and guard only. The dog must then do a standoff, where the helper runs and the dog is sent. The helper then gives up before the dog contacts the helper. The dog must return to the heel without apprehension. 5. Evidence Search - dog must find two out of three hidden items in a large grassy field. One item will be a pistol; the other two may be a wallet, credit card, knife, etc. |
| Upcoming |
| · New handler selection board in the middle of December 2004. · Drug dog training begins in January 2005. · Annual Patrol Dog Certifications in February 2005. · New patrol dog will be tested and selected in January-March 2005. |
| Keep up with the latest APD K-9 Patrol news and activities. Sign up to receive your free monthly issue of the APD K-9 Patrol Volunteer Newsletter by either filling out a Volunteer Information Card or E-Mail the editor. More K-9 Class pictures were added after 11/28/04, so visit: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ ph/mojoresearch/ album?.dir=8966 for the latest uploaded photos |
| Training |
| The drug dog training program is in the works. Officer Lahr is currently putting together a state T.C.L.E.O.S.E.-certified lesson plan. Equipment has been ordered and classes should begin for the three handlers in December. The actual drug dog training should begin in January 2005. |