THE TOP DOGS

Anyone driving by the La Quinta Hotel in Sherman this week and seeing all
the patrol cars surrounding it probably thought one of two things either
there must be Texas' largest drug bust going on, or there was a conference
of police K-9 teams from around Texas. The latter was the case, as about 50
dogs and their handlers came together for Region 20 of the United States
Police Canine Association trials and certifications.

It was a time for competitions between teams, but also a time for
networking among the K-9 handlers, most of whom are the only police K-9
teams in their respective law enforcement agencies. Police K-9 handlers and
dogs moved back and forth between Sherman's Bearcat Stadium and Grayson
County College sites.

A police dog rides along in a patrol car, ready to spring into action at
his handler's command. But more than that, the dog's a respected member of
a police team, one who does his job with as much professionalism as the
police officer with which he teams up.

Grayson County now has two active K-9 teams, both of which work for the
Sherman Police Department. Those are Officer Jeremy Jones and his partner
Harro, and Officer Tim Gann and partner Oskar. The other nearest team to
Grayson County at the trials is the McKinney PD team of Officer Donny
Tarter and his dog Bear.

In addition, there were 28 dogs certifying in narcotics duties and 20 in
patrol duties.

Jones explained that K-9 teams become members of the K-9 association and
alternate hosting the trials. "It was our time to do it, so we volunteered
Sherman," Jones said. It wasn't quite that simple from that point until
this week, during which times he had to visit local hotels to determine,
first of all, which would take the dogs, and also which would give them the
best deals.

"There was no problem with Sherman ISD to get permission to use the
stadium," Jones said, and Grayson County College was just as accommodating.
Because the trials were held at both places, he pointed out, there were
multiple events going on at the same times, "and that let us end a day
earlier than usual. The city (Sherman) budgeted money for the conference,"
which Gann and Jones used primarily for the supplies necessary to build
agility courses, box searches, and other equipment.

"It took Tim and me about two months on training days to build everything,
and we'll keep it and put it somewhere so we'll have it to train with,"
Jones explained.

The region's association president, Donny Tarter of McKinney PD, took care
of logistics such as finding the judges, one who came from Huntsville, Alabama.

Jones also found local donors for banquets, cold drinks, and other niceties.

Between added hotel-motel and sales taxes paid by participants, Jones said,
Sherman should come out good for its investment in the competitions.

Some dogs are strictly for narcotics enforcement only, explained Jones,
who's worked for several years as a K-9 handler. Those called patrol dogs
also are trained for building searches, tracking of suspects ("They're the
only ones allowed to bite suspects"), and sniff out bombs and cadavers.

Officer Brenda Martin, of Wylie PD and vice-president of the association,
said she and her partner Carlo have been together for six years. Although
Wylie is a city of about the same size as Sherman "and still growing,"
Martin said, it's the only K-9 team for that department, but, she added,
the department is looking to bring another K-9 on board.

When asked what Carlo did best, Martin paused a moment, then said, "I'm
kind of lucky. He's good all the way across the board." She told of one
case in which the dog's true worth sparkled when he tracked two burglary
suspects. "The two men separated," Martin said. "Carlo tracked the first
one to a house. Officers stayed at the house while Carlo and I went back to
the place where they both ran, and Carlo tracked the second suspect to the
same house." Both men had run in opposing semi-circles, she explained and
officers found the two suspects in separate places inside the house. The
case went to court and cleared up two burglaries of habitation and 21
vehicle burglaries, she said.

It's the first time out for Rockwall PD Officer Josh Stamper as a K-9
handler. He and Ali have partnered up for about a year. He said Ali is a
dual-purpose dog.

"I signed up to be a handler because of my love of dogs," Stamper said,
then added that he, "likes investigating narcotics crimes and capturing
fleeing suspects." Stamper talked about the intrinsic rewards of K-9 work,
saying, "It's rewarding knowing our team is the one who completed a call."

Rockwall is a city of about 25,000 people and has about 55 police officers
"and still hiring," according to Stamper.

Stamper recalled an October 2005 case that also cleared up "burglary cases
in the double digits." It began, he said, when another officer made a
traffic stop and four occupants in the van ran on foot. Officers
inventoried the van and found numerous construction items in it, later
determined to have been stolen. The van held 19 cabinets, each valued at
about $500, Stamper said. "We found the suspects together, after Ali
tracked them." He said the suspects were sentenced with plea agreements.

K-9 Officer Damien Bethell with Roanoke PD has worked with Shaft for three
years. "It's the first time I've been a handler. I love working narcotics
crimes, plus I wasn't afraid to take the challenge of being a K-9 handler
when it was offered." Bethell said the job is a "really big challenge, but
I raised my hand." There's no burn-out in sight for Bethell in this capacity.

Roanoke serves a population of about 6,500 with 27 officers, Bethell being
the only handler.

A case Bethell talked about that stuck to his mind involved a traffic stop
one night in which he became suspicious there might be drugs in the car.
"The guy refused to let me search it," Bethell said. "I took my partner out
and he made a good, positive hit on the car. We found a bunch of
meth(amphetamine).

"The guys' (lawyer) tried to suppress my training records and said the dog
alerted in error. I was impressed with that case, and the prosecutor showed
that the dog knows what he's doing." Bethell said the department made a
seizure on a large amount of money in that incident.

Bethell also talked about one which gave him the same warm, fuzzy feeling
that Stamper talked about. "The Trophy Club PD called me to help them. It
was a domestic violence where a man had assaulted his wife and, in the
process, hit his two-month-old baby. He decided he wanted to kill himself.
We tracked him after he left the house and found him. The last time I
checked, he was still locked up." When that man gets out of a Texas prison,
Bethell said, Tennessee has a warrant out also charging him with probation
violation.

Stamper explained the relationships between K-9 handlers.

"It's like a fraternity. We know these handlers have gone through the same
training, the same hard work, the same frustrations, and the same rewards
we've gone through. K-9 handlers have a bond that keeps us sticking together."

K-9 Trial Results:

* Patrol teams:

First Place -- Donny Tarter and "Bear," McKinney PD; Brenda Martin and
"Carlo," Wylie PD; Damien Bethell and "Shaft," Roanoke PD; Matt Rollins and
"Zeus," Dallas County Constables.

Second Place -- Cleve Williams and " Atos," Sulphur Springs PD; Jason
Ricketson and "Barry," Sulphur Springs PD; Eddie Moon and "Jack," Hopkins
County Sheriff's Office; Paul Nathan and "Kane," Lewisville PD.

Third Place -- John Harris and "Doc," Nash PD; Curtis Gooden and "Roby,"
Texarkana I PD; Tommie McElhiney and "Johny," Texarkana Tx PD; and Mike
Anzualda and "Asko," Dickerson PD.

Fourth Place -- Tim Gann and "Oskar," Sherman PD; Jeremy Jones and "Harro,"
Sherman PD; Josh Stamper and "Ali," Rockwall PD; and Brian Williams and
"Axel," Cedar Hill PD.

* Overall Narcotics Individual:

First Place -- Baldemar Torres, Jr. and "Blitz," Denton PD; second place --
Donny Tarter and "Bear," McKinney PD; third place -- Cleve Williams and
"Atos," Sulphur Springs PD.

* Overall Patrol Individual:

First Place -- Phil Prather and "Amor," Hunt County Constable; second place
- -- Brenda Martin and "Carlo," Wylie PD; third place -- Tommie McElhiney and
"Johny," Texarkana, Texas PD.

* Teams Narcotics

First Place -- Donny Tarter and "Bear," McKinney PD; and Baldemar Torres
Jr. and "Blitz," Denton PD;

Second Place -- Brian Williams and "Axel," Cedar Hill PD; and Paul Nathan
and "Kane," Lewisville PD;

Third Place -- Eddie Moon and "Jack," Hopkins County SO; and Mike Johnson
and "LT," Greenville PD.

Fourth Place -- Tim Gann and "Oskar," Sherman PD; and Jeremy Jones and
"Harro," Sherman PD.

* Overall Top Dog:

Donny Tarter and "Bear," McKinney PD.