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.