COUNTY'S TOP DRUG DOG RACKS UP EVIDENCE FINDS

MANTECA -- Officer Chris Mraz couldn't have asked for a better partner
while patrolling Manteca streets.

All it takes is a glimpse of his toy -- a 6-inch fire hose stuffed with
cotton -- and Blazer is ready to roll, eagerly waiting for Mraz to yell out
his search command: "Dope!"

Blazer, a 3-year-old, 75-pound golden retriever, is considered by Manteca
police to be the top narcotics K-9 officer in San Joaquin County. In his
two years with the Manteca Police Department's K-9 unit, Blazer has led
officers to 50 drug arrests, seized $23,000 in drugs and discovered two
methamphetamine labs, in Lathrop and Manteca.

"He's developed the reputation as a really good drug dog throughout the
area," Mraz said.

Blazer was certified to sniff narcotics when he was only a year old.
Typically, canines aren't certified until they are at least 18 months old.

When Blazer was just a year old and on his first search-warrant mission, he
alerted Mraz of drugs that were hidden in an unusual spot.

Nobody believed the puppy, whose brown eyes kept looking up to Mraz while
sitting on the sidewalk. But Mraz insisted that his dog was right and urged
authorities to tear up the sidewalk. When they did, police found 2 ounces
of methamphetamine beneath the rubble.

Sgt. Gary Lee of the Manteca Chronic Offenders Problems and Solutions Team
has been supervisor of the department's K-9 unit since 1986. He said the
Manteca Police Department has the strongest K-9 unit in the county, with
six patrol dogs and three narcotics dogs.

Lee praises Blazer's career so far, attributing the dog's accolades to his
aggressiveness and alertness.

"Blazer is a highly prospected dog in this area. He is in high demand," Lee
said.

Lee said Blazer's success rate also is attributed to his many hours of
work. Since Mraz is a patrol officer, Blazer rides with him in his police
car during Mraz's 10-hour shifts. The other narcotic K-9s don't get out as
much, because their owners have different roles in the department.

Lee said Manteca has a strong K-9 program not because the war against drugs
is bigger in Manteca than in other cities, but because it has officers who
are willing to dedicate their own time to train the dogs.

"The narcotics unit is a commitment for us. A lot of it is training on
their own," Lee said. "Our dogs are so good, it's rare that they are going
to miss. It's not a matter of if they are going to find it (a drug cache),
it's when they are going to find it."

Within the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, there are 10 K-9s: two of
them are with the Lathrop Police Department, which contracts its services
with the Sheriff's Office, spokesman Deputy Joe Herrera said.

The Sheriff's Office does not have any drug-certified dogs, but officials
hope to have some soon. Herrera said finding talented drug-sniffing dogs is
difficult these days because it take a lot of time and dedication from the
handler.

Stockton police for two years have had one narcotics K-9 in their narcotics
division and haven't used Manteca's canines.

Blazer, who is certified in the detection of marijuana, heroin, cocaine,
methamphetamine and opiates, has received more than 600 hours of training
and has engaged in 1,000 drug searches in his career.

Police estimated his accuracy rate is 98 percent.

Mraz, 36, of Manteca said although Blazer is considered his dog, the pooch
really belongs to his 9-year-old son, Luke, who asked Santa Claus for a dog
for Christmas after the family lost its Rottweiler to cancer.

When he is not busy detecting drugs, Blazer is just like any other family
dog and hangs out with the rest of the household -- Mraz's wife, Kelly, 36,
and their other son, Kyle, 12.

Lee said although Blazer is requested more than the department's other dogs
by the FBI and the County Narcotics Task Force for drug seizures, Manteca's
other certified narcotic dog, a shepherd, is frequently called to drug
scenes as well. The department's third narcotics dog is still in training
and is expected to be certified soon.

Manteca's canines can be seen in action at the annual Manteca Canine Trials
at Morenzone Park in the 1200 block of West Center Street in Manteca on
April 28.