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Officers mourn passing of police dog
Died of a heart attack earlier this week
Jesse Johnston Jan 07, 2012 12:20:05 PM
WEST VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - West Vancouver Police dog with 75 investigations and several arrests under his collar died from an apparent heart attack on Thursday.
Mike and his handler Constable Jeff Wood were a team and when Mike collapsed during a training exercise, Wood was crushed.
Corporal Jeff Young says it will be up to Wood to make funeral arrangements and decide how he wants the six-year-old dog to be remembered. "He and his family are devastated because Mike has only really been working with us since 2008, that's a relatively short time-frame. But it's long enough that they really had a strong bond."
Young says it will take a while for them to find another police dog. "It wasn't what they [the family] expected. We expected another four years of working time out of Mike and then a long healthy retirement after that."
It will be up to Wood to determine if he wants to stay with the K9 unit or move on to something else.
Police force awards badges to its canine crime fighters
By Katie Derosa, Times Colonist October 5, 2011
Saanich Police Department gave its police dogs badges Tuesday, part of a new initiative to recognize the canines as working members of the force instead of its property.
"We're here to welcome some of our fellow officers from this day forward, those with four legs, not two," quipped police spokesman Sgt. Dean Jantzen.
Chief Mike Chadwick put official badges on police dogs Brock, Panzer, Zeke and Taz, which, he said, work tirelessly with their handlers to catch criminals and keep the community safe. "These service dogs are valued members of the Saanich police," Chadwick said.
It won't change the way the dog team works on a day-to-day basis. The honour is symbolic, something other departments across Canada have started doing, including Calgary earlier this year.
The new status for police dogs follows legislation passed by the provincial government in June making it illegal to hurt a police dog. Anyone convicted under the new legislation will face a maximum fine of $75,000 or two years in jail.
Saanich police dog handler Const. Jason Whittaker was instrumental in pushing for that change.
Whittaker's brother, Const. Justin Whittaker, was the first officer in B.C. to charge someone under the new law in June after a suspect repeatedly kicked his dog, Taz, while trying to evade capture.
Taz was shaken but uninjured and the man was caught.
"Now he's not just a locator tool, he's a member of the Saanich police family," Justin Whittaker said.
kderosa@timescolonist.com
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Police+force+awards+badges+canine+crime+fighters/5504724/story.html#ixzz1a0YVnDbx
Police dog got kidnapping suspect 'right away'
Sept 13, 2011
RCMP officers arrest accused child abductor Randall Hopley near Crowsnest Pass Bible Camp in Crowsnest Pass, Alta., on Tuesday Sept. 13, 2011.
CTVNews.ca Staff
A police dog that tracked Randall Hopley to a cabin near an Alberta bible camp nabbed his target "right away," says a witness to the dramatic arrest of the man suspected of abducting a young B.C. boy.
On Thursday, the first images emerged of Hopley's arrest earlier this week.
The images, taken by a civilian who was at the scene, show marked police cars and unmarked pickups blocking an access road in a forested area near a lime quarry. One image shows police officers holding down a suspect sitting on the gravel road.
Hopley is considered the prime suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Kienan Hebert, who vanished from his family home in Sparwood, B.C. on Sept. 6.
Police had been searching for Hopley for several days. He was finally apprehended Tuesday morning at a cabin in the Crowsnest Lake area, just across the provincial border from British Columbia.
Bob Gresl, who works at the quarry and had no idea Hopley was in the cabin, said the police dog that chased the suspect easily nabbed its target.
"He got him on the road," Gresl told CTV News. "(The) dog got him right away."
According to Gresl, the camp used to house quarry workers.
The cabin Hopley was tracked to was a mess, with dirt and garbage strewn about and clothes piled on the floor. It was unclear late Thursday how long Hopley had been using the cabin.
CTV's Alberta Bureau Chief Janet Dirks has described Hopley's takedown as "quite dramatic."
Police have said they received a tip Monday night that Hopley might be in the area of a Bible camp in Alberta, a short drive from Sparwood, where the boy went missing.
They cordoned off the area around the camp, and several police dog units were deployed to the area. They remained overnight, until the dogs picked up Hopley's scent.
The dogs tracked Hopley to an abandoned cabin near the camp around 10 a.m. local time Tuesday. They knocked on the door, but Hopley somehow fled. He was chased down by police and their dogs, and apprehended.
Hopley had to see a doctor after his arrest. Hopley's lawyer William Thorne told reporters Wednesday that Hopley was slightly injured by police dogs during his arrest.
Hopley's car, which police were also looking for, was located nearby.
Details of boy's abduction, return a mystery
The circumstances of how Kienan was safely returned to his home Sunday morning remain a bit of a mystery to the public.
Police say the boy went missing after being put to bed Sept. 6. After an exhaustive search, as well as Amber Alerts in British Columbia and Alberta, and appeals from both police and the Hebert family, the toddler was returned to the family home in the middle of the night.
Investigators have refused to release details about how Kienan was removed from his home, where they believe he was kept in the days he was missing, and how he came to be returned.
RCMP Insp. Brendan Fitzpatrick has insisted that police did not make a deal with Hopley to allow Kienan's alleged abductor to return the child unharmed in exchange for his freedom.
"I can tell you absolutely there was no deal made with Mr. Hopley," Fitzpatrick said Tuesday.
Fitzpatrick also said police did not put the Hebert home under surveillance after issuing their appeal because they did not believe the abductor would return the little boy to his own house.
Hopley's story ‘will come out'
Hopley is charged with kidnapping, abduction of a child under 14, and breaking and entering. He has also been charged with two counts of breach of probation.
A B.C. judge has ordered Hopley be held in custody while he undergoes a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Outside court, journalists, curious onlookers and both critics and supporters of Hopley gathered to get a glimpse of the accused.
One mother of three criticized the proceedings.
"We have children that need to be protected, and we are paying for this man to go sit in jail, and eat three square meals a day and have tv or whatever else he is going to get in jail and I find that absolutely insulting," she told CTV.
But another man who identified himself as Hopley's closest friend said he does not belong in a jail cell. Brandon Johnson said Hopley needs help.
"I would take a bullet for this man," Johnson said.
After Hopley made his first court appearance Wednesday, his lawyer reminded the public that his client deserves a fair trial and shouldn't be convicted in the court of public opinion.
"Mr. Hopley has a story to tell and eventually, not yet, his story will come out," Thorne told reporters.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Elissa Carpenter and CTV's Alberta Bureau Chief Janet Dirks
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Guelph Police dog reports for duty
Fri Aug 19, 2011
Welcome Aboard Guelph Police Const. Andrew Crowe and newly acquired police service dog, Charger
Guelph Mercury/Greg Layson
GUELPH — The Guelph Police Service welcomed a new member to the force Thursday.
Charger, the newest police service dog, officially arrived in a sparkling canine unit cruiser.
The German Sheppard turned a year old last week. And with the vigor of a puppy, playfully met staff at the south end emergency services facility. He arrived straight from Germany five months ago.
At a cost of more than $6,500, Wellington Motors sponsored the purchase of the dog. Royal Canine will provide its food for the next five to seven years, depending on the dog’s health.
Police dogs undergo a health assessment after five years and can work for as long as seven. At the end of their careers, dogs are usually sold to their handler for $1 and become the officer’s family pet.
Const. Andrew Crowe said Charger “has a good temperament” and “loves girls.”
Charger will head to Waterloo for a 16-week training course where “he’ll learn the basics; enough to get him working in the field,” according to Crowe.
Crowe expects Charger to put on about 10 pounds and finally weigh in at between 75 and 80 pounds.
Charger replaces Trooper who recently retired after a five-year career.
editor@guelphmercury.com
RCMP dog handler almost ready to relinquish reins
By DAN ILIKA Herald-Tribune staff
Posted 2 months ago
One has been a member of the RCMP for over 30 years.
The other has been on the force less than five.
One has wanted to be a police officer since the age of 7.
The other was born to be a member.
They come from completely different walks of life but Cyril Gorman and his partner are inseparable.
"He's my best friend," said Gorman about his 78-pound partner in crime, Scooter.
Gorman has been a dog service handler with the Mounties for 21 years, working with canines to search for drugs and weapons, track suspects and execute search-and-rescue operations.
"I'm closer to my dogs than I am a lot of people," he said. "And it's that bond that allows him to do what he does for me and not stop doing it."
Gorman started his career in Maple Ridge, B.C., where he worked for nine years before getting involved in the police dog service in Kelowna where he started living a life-long dream.
"I can't remember what got me thinking this but it's something way back then people asked me what I wanted to do and this (was it)," he said. "They had a few pictures around in those days (where) you had an RCMP handler with a black and tan Shepherd and I've always loved dogs and it's something that I put my effort into."
After spending seven years in the Okanagan Valley, Gorman transferred back to his native Newfoundland where he spent another seven years.
Now in his eighth year in Grande Prairie, Gorman said he enjoys all aspects – or profiles – of the police dog service, but his favourite is still apprehension.
"I'd have to say tracking is my favourite profile," Gorman said. "I just love watching (Scooter) work and handling him when we're ... tracking a bad guy and catching that guy.
"There's no better reward."
While he always aspired to become a dog handler he said the job has far surpassed any of his childhood dreams.
"(It's) actually a lot more rewarding then I ever dreamed of," Gorman said. "I've had some really good success and timely successes and helped people."
Over more than 21 years of working with dogs, Gorman said he still has vivid memories of some of his favourite cases.
"I've had a few memorable cases that I'll never forget," he said.
The one that jumps out the most happened back in Newfoundland, where Gorman found an 11-year-old boy who had been missing in the woods for four days.
"I'll tell you there's not a better feeling in the world than that," he said.
Scooter is Gorman's fifth dog, but the handler said he couldn't name a favourite.
"They're all different," he said. "They all had things I didn't like and they all had things that I loved about them.
"You can't really compare one to the other because they're all different."
In Scooter, though, he has a young and energetic dog who learns quickly.
"He's strong in every profile," Gorman said of Scooter's abilities. "Every time you think he's at the highest level he can get at he steps it up a notch and shows you something different."
Because Scooter is so young he will move on to another handler when Gorman retires later this year.
Gorman said he's hand-picked Scooter's next handler and hopes there are no difficulties.
"It can be (difficult)," Gorman said. "Some dogs refuse to work for other people so it can be (but) hopefully it's not."
With retirement just around the corner Gorman said he considered becoming a dog service trainer when he turns in his badge but said he's got other plans.
"I'm probably going into the Subway business," Gorman said with a laugh. "My son and myself are part owners of Subways in Peace River and in Grimshaw so it's something that I can walk out into."
Multiple vehicle city-wide car-jacking ends in arrest
Updated: Sun Jul. 31 2011 19:02:25
The 21-year-old suspect in a massive car-jacking is lead away from Leduc Hospital after being treated for minor wounds Sunday, July 31.
RCMP Police Dog Bolt was integral in apprehending the suspect in a multiple car-jacking spree Sunday, July 31.
Julia Parrish, ctvedmonton.ca
A man is in custody after an hours-long rampage involving multiple police units, stolen cars and a police dog came to an end just east of the city.
At about 9:10 on Sunday morning Stony Plain RCMP responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at a rural address southwest of Stony Plain.
A woman was in her home on Range Road 12 and Township Road 511 when a male entered, demanding the keys for a vehicle parked outside the house.
He fled the scene, and took a pickup truck parked outside.
Over the next four hours, the suspect stole anywhere between six and eight vehicles in other jurisdictions including, Warburg, Thorsby, and Leduc County, Strathcona County RCMP and Edmonton Police also assisted.
Throughout the hours-long ordeal, the suspect drove south near Pigeon Lake, then turned around and ended up near the Edmonton International Airport.
Near the airport, he stole the last of the vehicles and headed towards Strathcona County and Edmonton.
Along the way, police said the man may have broken into residences and purposely ramming anyone who stood in his way.
Ken Ellis said the suspect nearly rammed an RCMP vehicle as he was trying to drive away from his property in the truck he had just stolen.
"He looked like he was going to ram one of the officer's police cruisers," Ken Ellis said. "So they backed up and let him out."
The suspect also reportedly hit an Alberta Sheriff along the way.
An RCMP helicopter and three Police Service Dogs were used to help find the suspect.
At about 12:30 p.m. an RCMP helicopter located one of the stolen vehicles travelling east on Anthony Henday Drive towards Sherwood Park.
The vehicle continued along Highway 216, exited onto Highway 16 eastbound where it drove over a spike belt placed near Meridian Street by Strathcona County RCMP.
The suspect, a 21-year-old Sylvan Lake resident, tried to flee the scene on foot, but was taken down by a police dog named Bolt, and his handler.
The male is in custody at Leduc County RCMP detachment, and faces numerous charges, some of which include robbery, theft, dangerous driving, possession of stolen property and possession of a weapon.
Police from several detachments are investigating, but are looking back at the rampage – and are grateful it didn't escalate even farther.
"We're very fortunate that we ended up like we did," Corporel Jeff Fox said after it was over.
"We're still trying to figure out what kind of weapons [were used], if any, [and] how many vehicles were taken," Corporel Fox said. "[We are also investigating] if there was any other circumstances that led up to his behaviour, that being drugs or alcohol."
RCMP continue to investigate the ordeal, and residents who were affected in the spree are asked to contact their respective RCMP detachments:
•Thorsby Detachment: 780-789-3950
•Stony Plain Detachment: 780-968-7267
•Leduc Detachment: 780-980-7267
•Strathcona County Detachment: 780-467-7741
With files from Sean Amato
______________________
Man arrested after alleged stolen vehicle rampage through capital region
By Miranda Scotland, edmontonjournal.com July 31, 2011 EDMONTON
A Sylvan Lake man allegedly went on a wheeled rampage Sunday morning, stealing between six and eight cars, breaking into houses and evading police for almost four hours.
Stony Plain RCMP say the 21-year-old entered a house southwest of town, near Range Road 12 and Township Road 511 at around 9:10 a.m. He demanded the homeowner hand over keys to her pickup. The man then fled the residence after the woman’s dog scared him off.
Over the next four hours, police say the man stole six to eight vehicles in Stony Plain, Warburg, Thorsby and Leduc County.
Donna Ellis’s weed removal company was working south of Edmonton near Sunnybrook, when the man arrived and stole the company’s grey Dodge truck.
“He left the scene right away and the police were after him,” said Ellis, who was at home at the time.
Police say the man eventually made his way to Strathcona County, then Edmonton. Along the way he allegedly rammed other motorists and forced police vehicles off the road. In one instance, police say he rammed the owner of one of the stolen vehicles when the man attempted to prevent him from fleeing the property.
RCMP say they never chased the man in their vehicles.
The suspect was found around 12:30 p.m. by an RCMP helicopter. He was travelling east on Anthony Henday Drive toward Sherwood Park. The man exited onto Highway 16 eastbound where his vehicle was stopped by a spike belt.
Police say the man tried to flee on foot, but was taken down by an RCMP service dog and his handler.
The man is in custody where he is facing numerous charges, including robbery, theft, dangerous driving, possession of stolen property and possession of a weapon.
Police say that no one involved in the rampage was injured. The RCMP continue to investigate.
mscotland@edmontonjournal.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
Two B.C. RCMP dogs killed in the line of duty
Police Service Dog BEAR as a pup
VANCOUVER - A second police dog was killed Tuesday, when two-year-old Bear was struck by a vehicle while trying to apprehend a home invasion suspect in Ridge Meadows, B.C., late Tuesday night.
Mounties are investigating the crash that killed the German shepherd.
“We are all saddened with the tragic loss of one of our police service dogs,” Cpl. Alanna Dunlop said. “He gave it his all, and sacrificed his life trying to do his job for what is right.”
RCMP would not release the name of Bear’s handler but said he was “distraught” and “getting the support he needs at this time.”
Just before midnight, RCMP responded to a home invasion in progress, where it’s believed three men forced their way into a residence.
The suspects fled on foot when they saw police. Bear and his handler were tracking one of the suspects, and when they stepped onto the road, the dog was struck and killed by a westbound vehicle.
Continuing the chase, another officer caught the young offender shortly after. Police have the 17-year-old in custody but the other suspects remain at large. RCMP believe drugs were behind the home invasion.
Bear was born in March 2009, and had completed his training last year.
Dunlop said dogs are a vital component of police work, assisting them in catching fleeing criminals, recovering lost persons, finding key evidence, and calming down violent people.
Early Tuesday morning, another two-year-old German shepherd, Bo, was killed when a police SUV collided with a civilian car in Richmond, B.C., as RCMP responded to a car theft in progress.
“Losing two members of our team in two days is devastating - it’s not something one can prepare for,” Staff-Sgt. Ron Field, head of the RCMP Lower Mainland District Police Dog Services said.
RCMP revealing little about police dog fatality
Police dog Bo with his Richmond RCMP handler cropped from the photo. (FROM RICHMOND RCMP)
By BYRON CHU, QMI AGENCY
Richmond RCMP are mourning a young police dog killed in a car accident early Tuesday morning but are revealing little about the cause of the crash involving the dog handler.
RCMP said the officer was responding to a report of a car theft in progress at the Britannia Shipyards in Steveston, across town, when the collision happened at Westminster Highway and No. 7 Road at 1:30 a.m. The unmarked dark green SUV had its emergency lights on when it collided with a compact car, crossed over the road and smashed through a hydro pole, shearing it in half.
Damage to the civilian car was minimal and none of its occupants were hurt. Although the police SUV was smashed in on the rear driver’s side, the officer and a civilian ride-along passenger in the police SUV were also unharmed.
But a two-year-old German Shepherd, riding in a special cage in the back, was killed by the impact. Bo was two years old and had been on the job for eight months after completing a five-month training course with his handler in Alberta last year.
“There are no words to describe how upsetting this is as we have lost a member of our police family,” said Cpl. Sherrdean Turley at a press conference Tuesday.
“Police dogs receive regimental numbers just as every other sworn member of the RCMP and are heroes in every sense of the word. From finding missing children to locating discarded weapons at crime scenes, to facing dangers head on to save the lives of their handlers – I don’t know how front-line officers could do their jobs if it wasn’t for our police dogs.”
RCMP shut down Westminster Highway between No. 6 and No. 8 roads late into Tuesday afternoon as a collision analysis and reconstruction team pored over the scene. Power to parts of east Richmond was also affected.
Turley said the RCMP is not revealing the identity of the dog handler, and gave no further details about how the accident happened.
AMERICAN K9 Handler Killed in the Line of duty
Kyle Pagerly and K9 Jynx
Funeral services for K-9 Deputy Kyle Pagerly of the Berks County Sheriff's Department, who was killed in the line of duty will be held on Wednesday, July 6th at the Sovereign Center, 700 Penn Street, Reading, PA 19601. Parking for police vehicles will be available at the Sovereign Center. The doors of the Sovereign Center will open at 0900 hours and will end at 1300 hours.
Donations are being accepted to either the Kyle Pagerly Memorial Fund or the Berks County Sheriff's Department Honor Guard Fund, Berks County Sheriff's Department, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601.
further information for members in Members Only area.....
Community Supports Pagerly Family
Posted: 11:45 pm EDT July 1, 2011
There are a lot of people in Berks County who want to do something for the Pagerly family to show how they feel about this week's tragedy.
Friday afternoon Crime Alert Berks County turned over $5,000 from its regular fundraising event to the family of Kyle Pagerly. And people in Sinking Spring want to do the same.
WEEU was broadcasting live Friday morning from the Dairy Queen in Exeter Township.
"Crime Alert Berks is donating all the proceeds from today's events to Kyle Pagerly's wife and unborn child," was broadcasted over the airwaves.
And money filled the donation boxes.
"I think about his child that's going to be coming along, not going to have a father," said Jan Fisher of Exeter Township, "And I just had two twin grandchildren that were born and they have a father they're going to grow up with. And I just felt compelled to donate to help the family out."
People can't undo what happened to Kyle Pagerly.
"I can't even imagine. I don't know," said Theresa Johnson, a Sinking Spring playground supervisor. But in Sinking Spring the playground supervisors want to do something.
"We've decided since he's given so much to the community that it'd be a great way to give back to his family," said Johnson.
Pagerly was a part-time officer in Sinking Spring. So the children who play on the Sinking Spring playground will donate the proceeds from their annual summer car wash to the Pagerly family.
"They always learn what a hero is and we think it would be nice to give back to someone who was a hero in their own community," said Heather Kraft, a Sinking Spring playground supervisor.
"I'd really like to make it something special because he was a special human being and he should be treated specially," said Regina Shade, the Secretary Treasurer for the Borough of Sinking Spring.
The borough is behind the project. And next Friday, July 8th from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm they want people to fill the parking lot at the Sinking Spring playground on Evans Avenue and Ruth Street with their cars. And possibly repeat the outpouring seen in Exeter Township.
"There's people out here that are supporting you and thinking about you," said Kraft.
All the money raised at the car wash will go to the Kyle Pagerly Memorial Fund.
You can make a contribution to that memorial fund in Pagerly's honor. Donations can be sent to the Berks County Sheriff's Department. The address is 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601.
ALBANY TOWNSHIP, Pa. - June 30, 2011 (WPVI) -- Fire trucks outside the Berks County Services Center created an archway in tribute to Deputy Sheriff Kyle Pagerly Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the 28-year-old officer was killed in the line of duty.
Deputy Pagerly killed in line of duty
Action News has learned that Pagerly and his wife were expecting their first child.
Pagerly died from gunshot wounds he suffered during a shootout with a burglary suspect armed with an AK 47.
It all started when a joint detail of state troopers, U.S. Marshals and county deputy sheriffs went to a house on Pine Swamp Road in Albany Township at about 6:30 Wednesday night to serve a warrant on 25-year-old Matthew Connor.
The warrant was for burglary, criminal trespass, terroristic threats, and simple assault among other charges, stemming from an incident Monday. According to the Morning Call of Allentown, Connor allegedly shot a handgun into the ground and threatened his family.
It was after that incident, police say Connor's father had handed authorities a suicide note from his son.
"We were anticipating that he had emotional problems because of the letter that he wrote," Pennsylvania State Police Captain Dante Orlandi said.
While talking to Connor's girlfriend, police say Connor ran out of the back of the house and into the woods.
Members of the detail pursued Connor, with Deputy Pagerly at the lead.
According to police, Pagerly came up over the top of a hill when Connor allegedly rose up, armed with an AK-47.
"The subject was in complete camouflage including his face had a camouflage mask, his hands at camouflage gloves, and he was armed with two guns, two knives, and large capacity magazines" Captain Orlandi said.
Police say Connor refused an order to drop the gun and opened fire. An exchange of gunfire ensued. During the exchange, Connor was killed and Pagerly was gravely wounded.
He was airlifted to Lehigh Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to court documents, Connor had previously threatened to provoke police into shooting him.
Connor's father told WFMZ-TV the AK-47 belonged to him and his son had taken it. Maurice Connor told the station he is a retired police officer from Cherry Hill, N.J.
Pagerly was an Army veteran who served in Kosovo and Iraq before joining the county sheriff's department in 2006, according to the department's website. Gov. Tom Corbett ordered state flags at the Capitol and state facilities in Berks County lowered to half-staff in honor of Pagerly.
Albany Township is about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia, near a 2,600-acre bird sanctuary.
It's a Police Dogs life
Const. J.R. Tunison (left) plays the bad guy as Regina Police Service service dog Kruz while Const. Jody Lorence holds Kruz back during a recent police dog demonstration in Regina.Photograph by: Don Healy, Leader-Post, Leader-PostConst. Jody Lorence yells for the suspect to halt, but he bolts off anyway.
He doesn't get far, though. Lorence's partner, PSD Kruz, catches up quickly and bites down on the suspect's arm and doesn't let go.
"Stop fighting my dog!" Lorence shouts as he reaches the struggling suspect, who quiets down. Lorence instructs Kruz to release and the dog obeys.
The "suspect" was a fellow police officer and the pursuit was part of a demonstration the Regina Police Service's canine unit provided for the media.
Kruz and PSD Juno, who were litter mates raised locally as part of the police's own breeding program, showed off their stuff. It's clear you wouldn't want either of them trying to bring you down.
The dog's are selected based on natural drives to hunt and track prey, explained canine co-ordinator Sgt. William Hayden. German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, like Kruz and Juno, work best for the Regina police's purposes, he said.
The canine unit has six members, each of whom have a dog for which they are responsible. The dogs live with their handlers. Each pair goes through rigorous training and practice their skills regularly.
"When the dogs are doing this type of demonstration that we've seen, that is all fun for the dogs," Hayden said. "Our dogs are not able to show any aggression through this type of work, unless someone tries to harm the handler or the dog itself."
Police dogs generally serve for between five and seven years. A dog and its handler can be called out between eight to 12 times a day for a variety of reasons, Hayden said. But it is rare for a dog to have to chase someone down.
"A lot of people are intimidated by the police dogs," Hayden said. "We're not there for that reason, but we find that usually having a dog on-scene will kind of calm the situation."
The dogs are trained to bite down once and to hold, so the damage inflicted by a bite is minimized.
At the end of a police dog's career, it is generally sold to its handler for retirement. Lorence, who raised the litter from which Kruz came at his house, said his dog is intense on the job, but a laidback, family pet at home.
"Kruz has been with me since the moment he took his first breath and he'll be with me until the end," Lorence said.
"He's sleeping in my room until we get up to go to work, he's with me all day at work, he's like an appendage, really. Our safety is each other's responsibility. Of course I worry about him. There are some dangerous things we ask him to do, but I'm right there with him."
Duty comes first for a police dog and its handler.
"He's like my best buddy, he's my partner, but in the end, I have to draw the line," Lorence said. "He is a dog and he is ultimately a tool here.
"While I don't ever want to put Kruz in a situation where he's going to get hurt, in the end, if it comes down to myself going home to my family, if it comes to down to you as a citizen going home to your family, Kruz is going to have to do his job."
jcouture@leaderpost.com
Teen charged with kicking police dog under new law passed after sled-dog massacre
Published On Fri Jun 24 2011
VICTORIA—A new B.C. law against injuring a police dog will be tested after a Saanich police dog was kicked in the head by a suspect in a car break-and-enter case.
The animal cruelty law took effect June 2 after an investigation into the slaughter of about 100 sled dogs near Whistler last year.
In the Saanich case, the police dog was kicked repeatedly by a 16-year-old boy at a site along the waterfront north of Victoria on Tuesday night.
The animal was then recalled by its handler and the suspect fled into the water but the police officer followed in a fire department boat and jumped in the water to make the arrest after a struggle.
The suspect faces several charges including assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and injuring a police dog.
B.C.’s new animal cruelty law, which is considered the toughest in Canada, includes fines of up to $75,000 and jail sentences as long as two years.
Police dogs and handlers form lasting bond
June 20, 2011
RCMP dog handler Sgt. Chris Gladney of the RCMP Holyrood detachment is shown with his newest police service dog Tom (left) and his former partner Mirko, now retired and enjoying life as one of the family pets.
They had been through thick and thin, from protecting U.S. presidents to tracking people lost in the woods, so adopting his police partner Mirko wasn’t a tough choice for RCMP Sgt. Chris Gladney.
“You say, ‘Was it a big decision?’ There was no decision there. You dearly love that dog, and there’s no way you’re going to send him off because he’s now retired,” he says.
Gladney is an RCMP dog handler. He and two peers in the province recently received new police service dogs as their old sidekicks were retired.
Interestingly, all three adopted the German shepherds and made them family pets.
Police dogs, it seems, are a police dog handler’s best friend.
“I’ve had him since he was 49 days old, and if you take a look at it, (over the last) 8 1/2 years, I’ve spent more time with him than I have with my family,” says Gladney, who’s based out of the Holyrood detachment.
The dog-namic duo has worked hundreds of cases together. There have been numerous homicide investigations, countless searches for missing people and many treks to find articles missing from crime scenes.
Because Mirko is cross-trained in detecting explosives, they’ve also been tasked to provide security detail for many VIP visits and big events.
They’ve protected three American presidents on visits to Canada — George Bush senior and junior and Barack Obama — as well as prime ministers, members of the Royal family, the king of Spain and other dignitaries.
Mirko and Gladney also worked at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics for two months and the G20 Summit in Toronto.
“He had a pretty good career,” Gladney says.
And a pretty good home life, too. Mirko has been such a part of the Gladney family, they’ve planned vacations around him.
“They don’t see him working,” Gladney says of his family. “He’s always been a family pet to them.”
The bonds between dog and family made it a no-brainer to keep the dog, even though the officer was also bringing a new animal, Tom, home with him.
“It’s something that the family has to buy into,” Gladney says.
According to Gladney, Mirko is adjusting well to retirement, to life as a pet who stays home when the cellphone goes off in the wee hours of the morning. He says the dog seems to realize he’s finished working, and probably has since he went away to train with Tom.
Mirko’s transition from police work to domesticity wasn’t automatic though.
“The first day I came back with my new dog, Tom, I put Tom in the truck and I said, ‘Mirko, stay, stay home now.’ We have an almost six-foot fence and he jumped it (as if to say), “Hey, what are you doing without me?’ ”
Gladney says Mirko has a good relationship with his replacement, and they are learning from each other.
“It’s like the children’s show ‘The Fox and the Hound,’ where the old dog and the young dog get along.”
The other dog handlers getting new canines and adopting their old ones are Cpl. Bill Frisby of the Grand Falls-Windsor detachment and Cpl. Jason Butler, who’s stationed in Bay Roberts.
Interestingly, Butler’s new dog, Brock, was named after Const. Brock Myrol, one of the four RCMP members killed in the line of duty in Mayerthorpe, Alta, in March of 2005.
Like Gladney, Frisby says there was never really any debate about adopting Muzak.
After being so close for eight years, he says, “It’d be very hard to then turn around and give him away.”
Frisby’s new dog, Tank, plus Muzak and a family pet mean there are three dogs living at the officer’s home.
He always keeps his police dog outdoors in a special pen with an insulated dog house. Frisby says Muzak was quite happy to finally spend nights in the house after he was adopted.
“Oh yes, very excited,” he says.
Gladney says the animals are special, and must have what it takes by being fearless and loyal, yet sociable. He points out that something like one in 63 make it through the RCMP’s training program in Innisfail, Alta.
“It takes a very rare dog to be a police dog,” he says.
Little wonder the officers are keeping them.
sbartlett@thetelegram.com
Police dog service team ready for duty
June 8, 2011
STEPHENVILLE — Cpl. Glenn Brown and his dog Cak — a police dog service team stationed at the Bay St. George RCMP Detachment in Stephenville — are always ready for duty when called upon.
With 25 years of service in the RCMP, of which Brown has 18 years of those in the Police Dog Service Unit, he and Cak are now four years with the local detachment. Cak is seven and one-half years old and originally came from the Czech Republic.
This is the fourth dog Brown has worked with and his experience with the Police Dog Service runs deep having worked as a trainer at the RCMP Dog Training Centre, where the national police force has its own breeding program in Innisfail, Alta.
That’s where the province’s three newest police dogs — Tom, Tank and Brock — were bred.
Tom and his handler Sgt. Chris Gladney are stationed in Holyrood; Tank and his handler Cst. Bill Frisby are stationed in Grand Falls-Windsor; while Brock and his handler Cpl. Jason Butler are stationed in Bay Roberts..
Cak’s specialty is sniffing out drugs; however, others are trained to sniff out explosives and there’s just one “bomb dog” in the province, located on the Avalon.
Although the two mostly travel by ground transportation, the pair has travelled by helicopter, plane and by boat when called into action.
Cak has even helped saves lives, including tracking and finding a missing woman in the Deer Lake area a few years back.
“Cak can track down anything with a human scent and most of the time he’s used to search for missing persons, for drugs and on a number of occasions for people who have been involved in criminal activity,” Brown said.
There are times when’s he’s used to search for evidence as well, which can include bullet shell casings.
While the Brown and Cak are available to work anywhere within the province, the team’s immediate area ranges from Port aux Basques to St. Anthony with 85 per cent of their work is done in the Stephenville and Bay St. George area.
HRP won’t comment on decision to retain RCMP
Published: May 18, 2011 5:00 a.m.
Police dogs are often the first to jump into a dangerous situation, and most don’t have more than their fur and teeth to protect them.
But yesterday, Vinny, a spry two-year-old German shepherd, showed off his new ultra-light body armour to the media. A few of the other six Halifax Regional Police dogs have old, passed-down body armour, but Vinny’s vest is new technology and fitted just for him.
“Police dogs get called for high-risk calls that are violent in nature, and we ask them to lead the way,” said Vinny’s partner, Const. Jamie Cooke.
“It’s important they’re protected the same as a police officer is with a ballistics vest.”
The vest was purchased by the Halifax Kennel Club, which has committed to buy at least four more of the $2,500 vests. Vinny got the armour because he’s the newest dog.
“It’s crucial,” said Brenda Juskow, with the Halifax Kennel Club.
“We were shocked when we found out these dogs aren’t properly protected or as protected as their human partners.”
Like many K-9 pairs, the dog is a member of the family and Cooke said he wants his partner to be as safe as possible. Vinny, who joined the police force about a year ago, has worn the vest for three months now.
“He loves to work. On the way to a call he sings the whole time until we get to the call,” Cooke said. “He’s an enthusiastic partner who loves to get out and help.”
Mans Best Friend
June 17, 2011
Kingston's three police dogs were the beneficiaries of some hard work by a group of high school students yesterday.
Woodworking classes at Queen Elizabeth Collegiate spent the past few months building a series of obstacles to be used in training sessions by the Kingston Police canine unit.
The obstacles, such as a replica window, a horizontal ladder and a tunnel, can be used to help get the dogs used to obstacles they may encounter on the job, said Const. Paul Doak, one of the two officers in the unit.
Doak has a general-purpose dog named Knox and a drug-sniffing dog called Bodey. He has been in the unit for almost 10 years. Const. Jeff Dickson has Indy, also a general-purpose dog.
Kingston has had a canine unit since 1998.
Because they didn't have their own training course, the officers have had to use or borrow one from larger police forces, such as Ottawa, for the past few years, Doak explained. Sometimes they would make do by using staircases inside the police station to give the dogs exercise.
"I got (Ottawa's) design a few months back and we approached QE, showed them the design and they thought it was a good idea," he said.
The students then came up with their own designs, cut the wood and put it all together, painting the final products white. The police force covered all of the costs.
Doak said having the students do the work would foster better community relationships with the nearby school and give them a chance to see their work put to good use.
The eight pieces were finished last week and the students were invited to the police station Thursday to watch the dogs being put through their paces on the obstacles.
The obstacles are all challenging to the dogs, Doak said. Each animal is different and can react differently to the same obstacle.
He said the course helps with the dogs' physical fitness and can keep them agile so they can handle the fences, fields and other hazards they may encounter when tracking a suspect.
"It's going to help our unit immensely."
He said the simulated window could be particularly useful since sometimes they have to get their dogs into a house that way.
"More importantly, though, it teaches the dog confidence and confidence with the handler. (When) they approach a new obstacle ... they're nervous and they have to trust the handler that they are not going to get hurt when they do it, so we help them. We start very small and then, as the dog's confidence progresses, they learn to trust us."
He said the handlers and dogs would work on one obstacle a day to build the dogs' trust and abilities.
The new course can also be taken to public demonstrations.
mlea@thewhig.com
Vancouver Police dogs show how vital a role they played in Stanley Cup Riot
By Kim Pemberton 16 Jun 2011
Vancouver Police Department Police Service Dog Unit
Like many of you I was glued to my television set last night watching the rampage happening in downtown Vancouver. One moment stood out for me when I observed a police officer in full riot gear with his service dog partner.
An intoxicated man was foolishly and aggressively advancing on a line-up of police officers, trying to bring order to the chaos, when the dog handler simply let out the leash of the service dog just enough to demonstrate a show of force. Seeing the barking, hyped up dog close-up was enough to send the man scurrying away, without the dog ever making contact with him.
It was also a good reminder to those of us watching to learn how vitally important service dogs with the Vancouver Police Department are for the city. VPD has the oldest municipal police service dog unit in Canada, beginning in 1959, and it's the second largest behind the Toronto Police Services. There are 18 handler/dog teams who have not only been trained how to work alongside the police department's Emergency Response Team to help in crowd control, but are also trained for criminal apprehension, narcotic, firearms and explosives detection. These highly trained dogs are raised with their handlers as puppies and after an eight to 10 year career are retired and get to remain in the home of their former police partner.
As city officials begin the process of analyzing the police response to last night's debacle I'm sure they too will agree with me how lucky Vancouver is to have such an effective service dog unit.
New law protects police dogs in B.C.
By Sandra McCulloch, timescolonist.com June 4, 2011
A Victoria police officer and police dog search for evidence at a crime scene in this file photo from October 2009.
Saanich police dog Brock regularly puts his life on the line to save his handler, Const. Jason Whittaker, and now Whittaker has gone beyond the call of duty to protect Brock and police dogs like him.
On Thursday, the provincial government passed a law making it illegal to hurt a police dog.
Anyone convicted under the new legislation will face a maximum fine of $75,000 or two years in jail.
"I've been a police dog handler with Saanich police for the last three years and I've met a lot of handlers from across the country," Whittaker said on Friday.
"The resounding concern for us was there was nothing affording protection to police dogs under the Criminal Code of Canada or provincially. They were seen as tools and resources."
The new legislation recognizes police dogs "as an extension of a police officer — they are acting on our behalf and are much more than tools and resources. They're partners, parts of our families and living, breathing animals."
Whittaker wanted to be a police officer so he could work with dogs. Brock, a five-year-old German shepherd, "is the best partner I ever had. We work so well together."
Whittaker recalls responding to a break and enter at a liquor store. No one witnessed the offence and the dog was asked to pick up a scent and follow it. "Brock tracked from the liquor store for about a kilometre and a half right to the front door of a house and barked," said Whittaker. "We recovered all the liquor that had been stolen and arrested the two males responsible."
Three VPD officers and police dog injured in violent arrest
Friday May. 27, 2011
Police dog Shack and his handler, Const. Dan Ames, are seen in this undated Vancouver Police Department photo.
Three Vancouver police officers and a police dog were injured Thursday night in Yaletown when an arrest turned violent.
The team was called to 628 Kinghorne Mews at around 8:30 p.m. with a report that a suspect wanted on a warrant for assault and mischief was in the area.
A police canine handler and his dog, Shack, arrived on scene first and located a suspect near the seawall – who allegedly advanced on the officer and ignored his commands. Const. Jana McGuinness says Shack was deployed while the officer called for cover.
"The man allegedly grabbed the dog's snout, and twisted it violently while pressing his thumbs into the dog's eyes causing him to yelp in pain," McGuinness said in a release.
The suspect also tried to hit the officer in the head, McGuinness said.
Additional officers arrived at the scene, but it took the group several minutes to get the suspect into handcuffs. He was eventually taken into custody, where he was treated for bite wounds to his arm and bruising.
Three of the officers were treated for bruises, cuts and hand and knee injuries sustained during the clash; Shack's health will be monitored for a few days.
Dean Rackahm, 49, has been charged with assaulting a peace officer and breach of undertaking. He also faces charges of assault causing bodily harm and trespass stemming from an incident on April 9.
He has a criminal record dating back to 1989, with multiple assault convictions, and police are requesting a mental health assessment for him.
Police lay charges in alleged home invasion
Charges come one day after dramatic arrest that occurred in downtown Yarmouth on May 24
Wednesday, May 25
RCMP Constable Lamonte Bourque and Corporal Mike Schaus with his police dog Bo race up John Street on Tuesday, May 24, after an RCMP suspect in an alleged home invasion is spotted on the roof of a building. TINA COMEAU PHOTO
The Yarmouth RCMP have charged an 18-year-old Yarmouth man with several charges in connection with an alleged May 21 home invasion. The charges come one day after a dramatic arrest of a suspect that took place in downtown Yarmouth on Tuesday, May 24.
William Donald Leonard Ogden, 18, has been charged with break, enter and assault with a weapon; forcible confinement; uttering threats to cause death; assault with a weapon; damage to property; failing to comply with a probation order and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The charges that are before the court identify the weapon as a knife.
The Yarmouth RCMP had initially said on Wednesday that Ogden would appear in provincial court in Halifax on Thursday. But on Thursday morning the RCMP said he will be in provincial court in Yarmouth on Monday, May 30. The RCMP also say their investigation is ongoing.
The alleged home invasion took place in a residence in the town of Yarmouth on Saturday, May 21. At approximately 9:30 p.m. the RCMP say a lone male suspect entered a residence. There was a family of six inside the residence – two adults and four children. One of the people inside the residence was able to get away and alert the police via a 911 call.
The suspect was gone from the residence when the police arrived. The RCMP say no one had been injured.
The police spent the next couple of days looking for the suspect but as of Tuesday, May 24, they had yet to locate the person they were looking for.
Around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, however, a foot chase by members of the RCMP resulted in an arrest after Ogden ran into an alley between the Yarmouth Vanguard office and the Registry of Deeds building on Second Street. At first when RCMP officers turned into the alley they couldn’t find him. Witnesses started pointing upwards, saying he had climbed onto a roof.
Sirens wailed throughout the downtown core as more and more RCMP officers converged on the scene, with some running along John Street, and others standing on Second Street, shouting at Ogden to climb down from the roof. He wouldn’t. At one point Corporal Mike Schaus lifted his police dog Bo onto his shoulders. Ogden was told that if he didn’t come down, the police dog was going up.
Eventually he did as was ordered and climbed down from the roof on a ladder that the police had leaned against the building. He was wrestled to the ground and arrested and taken into police custody.
The RCMP released the information about the charges in a media release sent out around 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday. In that news release the town detachment of the RCMP also extended thanks to the public for its assistance on the night of the alleged home invasion.
Ailing Guelph police dog retiring
Thana Dharmarajah, Mercury staff Fri May 20 2011
Trooper retires Const. Ralph Neumann and Trooper at Waverley Drive Public School.
Lena Stahl, Guelph Police Service
GUELPH — A degenerative disorder in Guelph police dog Trooper’s elbows will see him retiring from the police service in July.
The two-year-old German shepherd was diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia last year after he began displaying a limp. The diagnosis was made at the Ontario Veterinary College, where he was X-rayed and underwent an MRI.
Trooper’s disease is described as one where the bones don’t form properly and eventually produces bone spurs.
The canine is currently receiving laser therapy to keep him comfortable, said Guelph Police Service Insp. Scott Green, who is in charge of neighbourhood support services.
“He has been able to continue working with this treatment,” Green said. “It could go well, but it could go bad, if he was in a demanding call.”
Trooper has been with the Guelph Police canine unit since April 2009 and was bought from Shallow Creek Kennels Inc. in Sharpsville, Penn. He is trained in tracking suspects and missing persons, and detecting weapons and currency.
Trooper’s condition is currently manageable, Green said, however the veterinarian recommends Trooper undergo surgery that can run anywhere from $4,000 to $7,000.
The dog’s expected recovery time would be about three to six months, he said. Trooper’s laser treatment keeps him going, but that won’t work in the long run, Green said.
“The problem with any of those treatments is that it is not guaranteed to work,” he said, adding it didn’t make business sense to keep Trooper with the police service.
Trooper’s handler Const. Ralph Neumann hopes once the dog retires, his limping will decrease. Trooper will live with Neumann and his family upon retirement.
“In this job, they are used in extreme environments,” he said. “They need to jump fences and go for long periods of time ... now he’ll just be a dog.”
The Guelph Police’s two other canines, Magnum and Nitro, will continue working until Trooper’s replacement is brought on in the fall.
The replacement dog’s handler will be selected to begin a general patrol dog course with the Waterloo Regional Police in September.
New dog squad facility opens doors
Police Blotter Posted: May 19th, 2011
Photo left to right: Chief Constable Jim Chu, Mrs. Darlene Poole, future PSD Scout, Inspector Tony Zanatta, Inspector Loris Zuccato
The Vancouver Police Department opened its newest facility today, complete with honoured guests, a few speeches and a demonstration from some of Vancouver’s finest.
The brand new Dog Squad compound is a fully self-contained, stand-alone and state-of-the-art facility. It offers showers and locker rooms for staff, as well as a classroom with computer workstations for training, a kitchen and a weight training area.
There are 20 kennels for police dogs with heated floors and they are well ventilated with inside / outside access for fresh air. There is a dog grooming area and specially ventilated storage that help equipment to dry quickly.
The outside training area is equipped with bleachers and a PA system for dog demonstrations, one of which took place today. Constable Sandra Glendinning with PSD Hondo, Constable Geoff Goodall with PSD Wyatt, Constable Reg Forster with PSD Ace and Constable Richard Wong with PSD Knight displayed their skills for a group of delighted school children from Florence Nightingale Elementary, but it was two adorable puppies, and future PSDs, named Scout and Hunter that stole the show.
Much of the thanks for the facility being built goes to Jack and Darlene Poole. Aware of the cramped quarters and dilapidated building housing the Dog Squad previously, Mrs. Poole was determined to get them a new facility.
“What a privilege it has been to contribute to this outstanding facility,” says Mrs. Poole. Her late husband, Jack, was very fond of dogs. “He would say ‘the boys’ deserve this.”
Inspector Tony Zanatta of the Dog Squad thanked Mrs. Poole for her generosity and explained what it has meant to the squad. He spoke of the Squad’s tradition of a ceremony called “The Four Corners,” which takes place when a police dog dies and the members drive in a convoy to the four corners of Vancouver, respecting their partner’s commitment and sacrifice to “cover the city.”
“Mrs. Poole, the memorial you have made possible will be
