K-9 unit a big part of LPD

The large German shepherd pressed his nose through the grate separating him from the front seat of the sport utility vehicle last week and whimpered softly.

When a police dog is involved in a high-risk situation, safety is paramount, according to local law enforcement canine handlers.

But the priority individual handlers and departments put on that safety differs when it comes to certain measures, such as supplying the dog with a bulletproof vest.

Sgt. Shannon Zimmerman, with the Bedford County Sheriff’s office, acquired such a vest for his dog, Bartok, in June of 2008.

“I knew they were right expensive,” Zimmerman said, noting the vests cost around $1,500. “He just didn’t have one.”

Zimmerman said he looked around after hearing of groups raising money specifically in support of police dogs.

He came across a Web site for Georgia-based Vest N P.D.P., which was able to raise the money and supply the vest within about two months, Zimmerman said.

Lt. Matt Gillespie, the Lynchburg Police Department’s K-9 unit supervisor, said though the dogs’ safety is important, there are impracticalities that come with bulletproof vests.

“It’s very hot for the dogs to wear,” he said, “and we don’t commonly find incidents that require the dog to wear them.”

Besides which, Gillespie said, the dogs just don’t like the feel of the vest, and don’t have much of a chance to get accustomed to them.

“If they don’t wear it repeatedly, every time you put it on them they’re going to freak out,” Gillespie said.

Zimmerman likened the vests to any other canine safety technology, such as the Hotdog alarm, which alerts handlers to the heat conditions in the vehicle if the dog is inside it.

Gillespie said he isn’t against the use of the vests, and that LPD keeps a few vests on hand for the rare case that the dog is called into a situation that warrants the use.

“It’s a very valuable tool when it’s needed, but it just doesn’t happen very often,” he said.

Zimmerman said he was thankful for the opportunity to acquire such a valuable piece of equipment, and said he’ll feel much better in the event that Bartok needs to take part in a high-risk situation.

“In the building search situation, he would be the only target in there,” said Zimmerman, adding “(the vest) is pretty much his only other safeguard until we’re able to get in there.”

Written by staff writer Dave Thompson

The dog, named Charlie, was visibly anxious as he watched his handler, Lynchburg Police Officer Chip Woody, help another officer with a person she had stopped. He started barking when Woody began to search the man.

Charlie doesn’t like being left in the car. He gets anxious when Woody walks away from his kennel, crafted out of the back seat of the SUV. He prefers to stand beside his handler where he can be perpetually at the ready to do his job, whether searching for an armed suspect, sniffing out drugs hidden in a car, or protecting Woody.

Charlie is one of four canine officers with the Lynchburg Police Department. Domino and his partner, Officer Andrew Pantana have been together since October. Axel and Officer Jon Deblock have been working together for six years, and Bodo — the unit’s only explosives detection dog — has been partnered with Officer Gary Abbott for three years.

“The dogs become part of the family,” said Lt. Matt Gillespie, the K-9 unit’s supervisor.

The dogs spend the entire shift with their partners. When the shift’s over, they go home with their partners and join their spouses, children and other pets.

There are canine units in Am-herst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell and Nelson counties as well as the Virginia State Police. The Lynchburg Fire Department also has a search and rescue dog.

Pantana is the newest to join the unit. He and Domino graduated from training class just before Christmas.

“He can be intimidating if I want him to be,” Pantana said. “He doesn’t pay any attention to anyone but me. He’ll smell them, then turn away like ‘Nice to meet you, see ya.’

“He’s kind of a loner.”

Pantana said his wife, four children and two other dogs were a little apprehensive about Domino joining the family at first, but have quickly warmed up to each other.

“They were a little nervous — anyone would be nervous,” Pan-tana said. “The more they got used to him, they saw he’s a dog, he’s a little different, but he’s still a dog. They respect him.”

Domino has a crate in Pantana’s yard, where he stays unless the weather is too hot or too cold. The partners are to-gether all the time unless Pantana goes on vacation. Then his fellow officers take care of Domino.

The officers and the dogs train a little bit every day, with intensive training three days per month.

All four are trained in patrol work — searching, apprehending suspects and protecting their handlers — in addition to narcotics detection, with the exception of Bodo, who sniffs out explosives.

Officers are typically with the department for three years as a patrol officer before they can be considered for the canine unit. They are interviewed and go through home examinations since the dogs are with their handlers almost all the time.

The dogs selected for police work are typically the “alpha males,” with highly developed drives and instincts that allow them to track prey in the wild, Gillespie said. They also must be highly disciplined and able to interact with strangers without aggression.

“They have to work around other people,” Gillespie said.

The typical career for a police dog is about 10 years. That’s when they begin to show the signs of age and are retired, Gillespie said.

Last week, Axel was called to help the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office track two men who robbed a woman at gunpoint at her car off Edgeway Drive in the Vista Acres area. They took her purse and ran.

Axel picked up some of the scent and pulled Deblock up the road into the darkness, but the trail vanished. The two men are still at large.Back on the dash of the SUV are two rolled-up towels. They are Charlie’s toys and paycheck. On a quiet night, Charlie gets a little restless when he’s not able to earn his reward.

“It took a good year before I had a true bond with him and we were able to work together to the point that I could understand what was going on,” Woody said. “I wouldn’t be able to follow him if I didn’t understand what he was thinking.”

Deblock was surprised the first time that Axel found a large amount of illegal narcotics while they were on patrol.

“You always hear it from someone else, but you didn’t know it would happen for you,” he said.