Canines keep citizens safe

By Marty Metzger
Correspondent

These law enforcement professionals take a real bite out of crime and are members of a special breed. They are police dogs.

In this area, seven canines diligently work to keep citizens safe. The Larimer County Sheriff's Department employs four; the Fort Collins Police Department maintains three.

According to Joe Clingan, owner of Fort Collins Protection Dogs & Training Inc., breed greatly matters. German shepherds traditionally comprised most dog units. Now, however, the Belgian Malinois is favored by police agencies and the military. Dutch shepherds are also gaining in popularity, with Labs and retrievers used for drug, bomb and other detection work.

Clingan has devoted 28 years to law enforcement. For more than 30 years, he's worked with police dogs in Colorado. In 1980, he established the Fort Collins canine unit.

Jay Harrison, who trains dogs and handlers for the sheriff's department at his Academy for Law Enforcement K-9 in Wellington, said only the Malinois is used by Larimer County. Harrison, however, also sells German and Dutch shepherds to law enforcement, the military, Colorado hospitals and private security firms.

Harrison attributes a longer lifespan (about two years more) and required qualities for dual-purpose work to the Malinois' popularity. It's those qualities that make or break a potential police dog.

Pups must display sociability, drive, character and heart, said Clingan. When sizing up a canine candidate, he plays fetch with it. A dog should shake all over in eagerness to retrieve the ball.

This energetic eagerness is required for the dual-purpose work of patrol and detection. When on patrol, dogs must willingly track, search structures or open areas for suspects, find evidence and protect officers, as well as chase, attack and hold suspects. These same dogs must have a nose sensitive enough to sniff out drugs, bombs or arson scene accelerants.

Although some officers carry two dogs, one for patrol and the other for detection, most prefer just one that can do it all.

That generally rules out "just any old dog," although Clingan does occasionally use shelter dogs for detection work only. But since they must be both social and aggressive, along with sound in mind and body, he rarely locates what he needs other than through specialized breeders.

"It's hard to find one with all the bells and whistles," said Clingan. "I'm pretty picky."

Clingan finds most of his bells and whistles in Europe, where he travels three times a year in search of suitable K-9 material.

The Belgian Malinois breed is rare in the United States, and, said Clingan, European dogs are better bred than American ones. Haphazard inbreeding is rare there because Europe has judges who determine what dog may be bred to what dog. Therefore, breed weaknesses such as hip dysplasia are more frequent here.

Clingan sadly noted that capitalism is ruining Europe's high standards. American law enforcement agencies seek so many European dogs that greed is loosening breeding restrictions, he observed.

To counter that recent glitch, Clingan has begun his own modest dog-breeding program. But, he said, about two out of eight pups in a litter make the grade, thus leaving six pet quality animals to place elsewhere.

And, since a dog must be 1 to 11/2 years old before desired traits are fully developed, placement becomes harder still.

Consequently, most aspiring police dogs are European imports. Like other immigrants, each must learn English unless its handler prefers to continue using commands in its native language. Sticking with a European language generally means a suspect won't understand dog/handler communication.

Novices that have been tested for probability of success are nevertheless untrained and green. In the first few weeks of primary training at Clingan's facility, dogs learn the basics. Then the handler is brought into the equation. The newly paired team works eight to 10 hours a day, five days a week for six to 10 weeks.

Most dogs live with their handlers and play with family members, as do any other dogs. At the end of their careers--seven to eight years is average--police dogs can retire to the family setting with their handler. Giving them to someone else is usually a formula for disaster, said Clingan, as they remain trained patrol animals. He finds that some adjust poorly to inactivity and exhibit behavioral problems.

Officers also find it hard to adjust to their dog's retirement. They can never replace their dog; they can merely get a new one. And, since police dogs are worth $10,000 to $15,000 each, they represent a financial as well as emotional investment.

On the job

When commanded to use force, dogs go for a target of opportunity on a suspect, and they hold the bite until given a command to release. In the United States, 80 percent of police dogs find and bite, while 20 percent hold and bark only. If a suspect has a gun, the dog bites the arm holding the weapon. Those teeth apply 900 pounds of pressure per square inch, rendering the arm useless.

A suspect receives fair warning, however, with two announcements made prior to an officer sending a pursuit dog into a building or down a street. Some suspects give up at the mere mention of a dog.

Harrison recalled a noteworthy pursuit from 2003. He and his dog Rico were sent on a nighttime hunt for a walk-away from a Longmont halfway house. A car chase led to Estes Park, where the man leapt out of his vehicle and took off on foot. An Estes deputy pointed out to Harrison the culprit's last known whereabouts, so with Rico on leash, Harrison set out in the dark after him.

Reaching a nearby creek, Harrison told Rico to jump across. Rather, Rico stayed put. Harrison again gave the command to jump over. He then felt a peculiar wiggling at the other end of the lead.

Harrison thought perhaps the water was too deep and shined his flashlight, discovering that Rico had already latched onto the escapee. The man had lain down in the creek to avoid detection. Rico had found him and grabbed his arm, intently wriggling to pull him out of the water.

The surprise capture "scared the living daylights out of me," said Harrison. Meth was subsequently found in the suspect's vehicle.

Harrison observed that this area has a high success rate with K-9 work. The majority of calls are narcotics searches, the rest tracks for crimes.

"Each dog has its own personality, just like a person," Harrison added.

With more than 20 years in law enforcement, Harrison concluded, "It's most rewarding to work with a dog."