Essex Dog Squad (Baristanet)

Essex Dog Squad

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Essex County Sheriff's K9 unit has grabbed several alleged Baristaville bad guys recently, and a lot of you wanted to know more about these canine cops. So we invited ourselves out to their new digs on South Mountain Reservation, to meet with detectives and the 14 furry civil servants who work hard, work smart, and are on call 24/7.

In the middle of the kennel tour, a call for assistance on a drug investigation came in from Montclair PD. Out comes Blaise, a huge two-year-old German Shephard. He demonstrated his talents by finding a miniscule bit of cocaine planted by the detectives, triple-concealed inside a glass vial, in a plastic baggie, inside a metal case under an office desk. It took all of about 30 seconds of sniffing before Blaise started pawing and scratching at the metal box. I was impressed. Then he was out the door, on a mission with fellow sniffer Molly, and Detective Machette.

Blaise's buddies include "Hunter," a two-year-old, 100 pound bloodhound, still in training to track missing persons. "Bo," an eight-year-old black lab, is the senior staffer among the search and rescuers - and is counting the days until he retires. "Valdez," a yellow lab, is the unit's newest member. The rookie in training arrived with Detective George Ruiz. They're both training to work narcotics and will be on the streets in just a few weeks. "Ava" is a sweet, beguiling German Shephard, the daintiest of the bunch. She loves to work and is assigned to arson. A frequent visitor at Detective Vincent Fortunato's, Ava has a penchant for Italian cooking. She makes sure Fortunato is out of bed when the alarm goes off and will yank the shower curtain if he's not out in 15 minutes.

K9 recruits are adopted from animal shelters, or from seeing-eye dog trainers when they don't cut it - healthy, spirited German Shephards, Labs, and Bloodhounds. AKC pedigrees are not required, just smarts and a playful temperament, which translates to trainabilty. Only one in 25 recruits pass muster and are retained in the ranks.

Doggy boot camp begins when they're around 1 year old, training eight hours a day for 12-14 weeks. Each dog has just one handler and they'll stick to one and only specialization until they retire. Doggie-handler bonding is essential. They'll protect each other on the streets, hang tough, and and even wear matching bullet-proof vests.

Valdez and Blaise, on narcotics detail, can sniff out many different drug scents. The bomb and weapons canines train on more than 30 odors such as gunpowder and dynamite.

The new kennel is comfortable and squeaky clean, a step up from their old quarters in Belleville, we hear. And did we mention round the clock love and attention each resident recieves from devoted detectives and handlers? Being a part of the Sheriff's pet project has its advantages. The dog squad started off in 1987 with two canines, but post 9-11 demand has increased the troops. The sherriff's office takes the K9 unit on frequent trips to Newark Airport, and helps federal agencies like the FBI, DEA, and Secret Service.

Captain Mike Bettin says last year they responded to more than 700 calls for canines. Lately, the bomb squad has been a frequent responder to prank threats at several schools in Essex County. Narcotics and tracking dogs are in demand all year. "You have to know what you're doing and you have to love what you're doing. One hour you could be out looking for a lost child, the next hour you'll be looking for a homicide suspect," says Bettin.