Pubdate: Sat, 07 Jul 2001 Source: Savannah Morning News (GA) Copyright: 2001 Savannah Morning News Contact: http://www.savannahnow.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/401 Author: Paula Reed Ward CITY FETCHES DOG PATROL Foot Chases And Drug Detection Will Be Among The Tasks For New K-9 Unit. Soon, the Savannah Police Department will be going to the dogs. Well, at least four of them, as the department starts its first K-9 unit in more than 20 years. The Belgian Malinois, which will be brought to the United States from Europe by Beck's Canine Service in Wilmington, N. C., will be out on patrol by November. "The need for dogs in the world right now is staggering," said Kevin Beck, the owner of the company. "They're such a great tool." The dogs in Savannah will have a dual purpose for both patrol and narcotics detection. In all, there will be four dogs and four handlers. Officers plan to always have one dog on duty, and each dog will be assigned to one of the department's four precincts, said Capt. Gerry Long, Precinct 1 commander. If a call arises for the K-9 in another precinct, the dog and handler will be called out, she said. Chief Dan Flynn said the dogs will be beneficial, especially for foot chases. One such situation was when the Fort Stewart Georgia Federal Credit Union on Northeast Lathrop Avenue was robbed in January. It took police three hours to catch that suspect, who was found hiding in a drain pipe. "That could've been over much quicker, with far less police resources, had we had dogs available," Flynn said. Now, he added, people believe they have a good chance of getting away when they get in foot chases with the police. "It's a crime deterrent, not in the sense the criminal is afraid to get bit, but they're afraid to get caught," Flynn said. The dogs also will help officers when looking for missing children or Alzheimer's patients who may have wandered off, Long said. Currently, the only law enforcement tracking dogs in the area are in Bryan County and Reidsville. There are between 3,000 and 4,000 police dogs in service across the country. In the past 10 years, Beck has placed almost 600 dogs. "There's no better machine to detect odors or that has the same mobility." For example, Beck said, an explosive detection machine can cost $20,000 and can take two hours to set up. "Dogs are very mobile, and they have an extreme advantage over any machine science has ever created." To get the dogs acclimated to the working environments police are called to, Beck and another trainer will take them to various places, including airports --to get them used to airplanes, and to schools to get them used to working with children. In addition, the dogs will be trained at night and around blue lights and sirens, Beck said. The trainers will use positive reinforcement with the dogs. "It's all win, win, win. We get a positive indication, they get a reward," Beck said. Often, that reward is a ball, rag or rubber Kong toy. "The work ethic of a Malinois is second to none," he said. Supervisors at the Savannah Police Department emphasize the dogs will not be used in crowd situations. "I don't intend to turn these dogs loose on anyone," Flynn said. "The handler will always have control of the dog." Capt. Long said the dogs will be used for apprehension. "They are working dogs, and they will apprehend bad guys but under the control of the handler," she said. Flynn's former department, Miami-Dade, had 16 dogs in its K-9 unit, and they had the lowest bite rate in the country, Flynn said. Generally, bites occur only when someone assaults the dog. Normally, the dogs are used only in felony cases, Beck said. In addition to working patrol and narcotics detection, the dogs will also serve as a positive public relations tool for the department. Although the animals are considered working dogs, they also will be socialized with other officers and the handlers' families. "The dogs don't live in a vacuum," said Sgt. A. J. Haysman, who will supervise the unit and handle a dog. "They're expected to socialize with the family." The Costs Each Belgian Malinois will cost $8,000, which includes the dog, the training and housing for its handler for six weeks. The dogs the Savannah Police Department will get are full-grown, from 18-months to 2 years old, and they will come from Holland. To outfit the department properly, the Savannah police will also have to buy kennels, equipment for the officers' vehicles, toys, and water and food bowls. The department expects to pay about $16,500 for those expenses, with an additional $8,000 in recurrent costs each year after that. The five officers who will make up SPD's K-9 unit will be in training for six weeks from September through mid-October. Officers are still in the process of writing the K-9 unit's Standard Operating Procedure, and when the dogs report for duty, there will also be training among the other officers in the department. Capt. Gerry Long described that training as dog etiquette, such as learning when it's appropriate to pet the dog (after asking the handler's permission), and how to interact with the handlers around the dog. The Dogs The Belgian Malinois is named for the Belgian city of Malines. It is one of four varieties of Belgian sheepdog. The Malinois stands between 22 and 26 inches tall and weighs 55-65 pounds. The dogs are most often used for policing. To become a police dog, the Malinois must: * Possess courage * Not be afraid of different environments * Have a high retrieve drive * Be able to apprehend * Have a high hunt/search drive * Be healthy One of the ways the trainers check a dog's retrieve drive is by throwing out metal objects to be returned. "Once a dog starts retrieving metal, he'll retrieve just about anything," said Kevin Beck. The Malinois' life expectancy is about 12-14 years, and they normally stay in active duty for about seven years. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk