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by Slamdunc on 25 January 2010 - 01:01
I just have to brag a little about one of our apprehension's the other day. My K9 did a fantastic job, here's the story:
We had an armed robbery of a Dollar General store. Two subjects entered the store and put a gun in the face of the employee and tried to open the cash register. This occurred at about 1:10 PM, the subjects who were wearing masks had trouble opening the register and fled the store on foot, last seen running from the store and turning right into the back parking lot of the shopping center. I was en route immediately and began coordinating the responding units to set up a perimeter in the surrounding neighborhoods and apartment complexes. I arrived on scene with K9 Boomer at approximately 1:20 PM. The precinct units responding quickly and set up a good perimeter. I went to the back of the shopping center and waited for another K9 officer to accompany me on the track. I took Boomer out of the car to acclimate his nose to the area and get him ready. A citizen came out and told me that she heard there were 3 subjects acting suspiciously behind the shopping center and gave me a description. She had seen them 20 minutes earlier as they staged to rob the store, 2 males dressed in all black, 1 in black and red. I asked if they had a car staged near by and she stated there was no car. My thought was "giddy up" no car, they had to run on foot. We've got a good chance of catching these guys.
So, I wait for another K9 guy to be my cover officer on the track. It's way to dangerous to track alone, especially 3 armed suspects. The handler watches the dog and the cover officer/s watch for the bad guys. Now, keep in mind we are in a large shopping center at 1 in the afternoon with lots of vehicle and foot traffic. Oh, did I say it's raining, yea it's been raining all day and very windy. My buddy shows up and grabs his M-4 and I get Boomer ready to start. I bring K9 Boomer to the front door of the store and start my tracking ritual and get him to take scent from the sidewalk. I walk around the corner to where the guys were standing 1/2 hour before and tell Boomer to track. K9 Boomer puts his nose to the ground and starts to pull like he's tracking on grass, but it's all asphalt. He leads us around the back of the shopping and goes north through the shopping center for about 3 - 4/10ths of a mile, while cars pass by. Boomer tracks right to a cut in the fence and heads into the woods. These woods are thick briar's and thorns and Boomer begins air scenting working really hard. Well his 30' lead gets all tangled so I cut him loose and let him work. Boomer heads north to a main road and in the direction of one of our "notorious" apartment complexes. I notice his demeanor and body language has changed and feel he's lost the scent. So, I tell my buddy to stay there and return Boomer about 100 yds south to the last place he was hot on the track. It was heavy wind as well as rain and the wind will whip the scent and cause it to pool in the woods.
continued....
We had an armed robbery of a Dollar General store. Two subjects entered the store and put a gun in the face of the employee and tried to open the cash register. This occurred at about 1:10 PM, the subjects who were wearing masks had trouble opening the register and fled the store on foot, last seen running from the store and turning right into the back parking lot of the shopping center. I was en route immediately and began coordinating the responding units to set up a perimeter in the surrounding neighborhoods and apartment complexes. I arrived on scene with K9 Boomer at approximately 1:20 PM. The precinct units responding quickly and set up a good perimeter. I went to the back of the shopping center and waited for another K9 officer to accompany me on the track. I took Boomer out of the car to acclimate his nose to the area and get him ready. A citizen came out and told me that she heard there were 3 subjects acting suspiciously behind the shopping center and gave me a description. She had seen them 20 minutes earlier as they staged to rob the store, 2 males dressed in all black, 1 in black and red. I asked if they had a car staged near by and she stated there was no car. My thought was "giddy up" no car, they had to run on foot. We've got a good chance of catching these guys.
So, I wait for another K9 guy to be my cover officer on the track. It's way to dangerous to track alone, especially 3 armed suspects. The handler watches the dog and the cover officer/s watch for the bad guys. Now, keep in mind we are in a large shopping center at 1 in the afternoon with lots of vehicle and foot traffic. Oh, did I say it's raining, yea it's been raining all day and very windy. My buddy shows up and grabs his M-4 and I get Boomer ready to start. I bring K9 Boomer to the front door of the store and start my tracking ritual and get him to take scent from the sidewalk. I walk around the corner to where the guys were standing 1/2 hour before and tell Boomer to track. K9 Boomer puts his nose to the ground and starts to pull like he's tracking on grass, but it's all asphalt. He leads us around the back of the shopping and goes north through the shopping center for about 3 - 4/10ths of a mile, while cars pass by. Boomer tracks right to a cut in the fence and heads into the woods. These woods are thick briar's and thorns and Boomer begins air scenting working really hard. Well his 30' lead gets all tangled so I cut him loose and let him work. Boomer heads north to a main road and in the direction of one of our "notorious" apartment complexes. I notice his demeanor and body language has changed and feel he's lost the scent. So, I tell my buddy to stay there and return Boomer about 100 yds south to the last place he was hot on the track. It was heavy wind as well as rain and the wind will whip the scent and cause it to pool in the woods.
continued....
by Slamdunc on 25 January 2010 - 01:01
continued:
I restart Boomer at the little makeshift bridge we crossed and he immediately made a left turn and headed west at a jog. I called my cover officer and we began tracking west into a muddy path leading to a different apartment complex. We come out of the woods and I see buildings and a path to the parking lot. K9 Boomer made a right turn and started pulling hard and then left dragging me behind the apartments. we started to run to keep up with Boomer and he tracked up to the window of a first floor apartment. Boomer stops and start sniffing the ground and I see a foot print and a muddy skid print near the window. We try to determine what apartment it is and get the number wrong, it's hard to tell one unit from another when looking at the back window. I radio for the perimeter guys to head to this area and talk to the maintenance guy.
The maintenance guy says it a vacant apartment and he was just working inside it, (we got the wrong number initially, we were one off) so I restart Boomer again. He works a little bit maybe 20 or 30 yds and has no track. he turns and brings me back to that window and puts his nose on the window sill and stands there and starts breathing really deep. He then looks at me as if to say "do I need to draw you a map, their in here." I also notice out of all of the apartment windows this is the only one with out a screen on it. I send 3 officers to front to knock on the door and I cover the rear with another officer. No one answers the door.
I raise the window with my buddy covering me, move the curtain and look inside. I see muddy footprints in the carpet and mud on the curtains. K9 Boomer is really amped up and my K9 officer who is covering me with the M4 requests that I don't let Boomer bite him. I begin to give K9 warnings and Boomer starts sounding off and a woman answers from inside the apartment, begging me not to send the dog in. Now, keep in mind 3 officers just knocked on the front door and she wouldn't answer the door, although she heard the Police. I order everyone inside to "put their hands up and walk to the front door. When the front door opens all 3 guys give up.
One guy had 27 outstanding felony warrants from my city for burglary, larceny, andarmed robbery (he robbed an elderly woman at gunpoint at a walmart). All of these warrants are since December and our warrant bureau was passing out wanted posters with a reward for this guy. All three are gang members. We get consent to search the apartment from the tenant and find the gloves, mask, clothing and gun.
Within 40 minutes of the armed robbery, Boomer tracked about a mile, 1/2 across asphalt and concrete to the window they used and we caught all 3 guys with out incident. The guys all confessed to detectives and stated they were so afraid of the dog they all gave up. I am still proud of my little guy for doing a hard surface track in the rain and then being so pumped to get in the apartment all the guys gave up. That's why I love my job. The day before he tracked and apprehended a 12 time convicted felon, another track down streets through neighborhoods into the woods where the guy gave up. It's been a fun, rewarding week.
Thought you mind find this interesting.
Jim
I restart Boomer at the little makeshift bridge we crossed and he immediately made a left turn and headed west at a jog. I called my cover officer and we began tracking west into a muddy path leading to a different apartment complex. We come out of the woods and I see buildings and a path to the parking lot. K9 Boomer made a right turn and started pulling hard and then left dragging me behind the apartments. we started to run to keep up with Boomer and he tracked up to the window of a first floor apartment. Boomer stops and start sniffing the ground and I see a foot print and a muddy skid print near the window. We try to determine what apartment it is and get the number wrong, it's hard to tell one unit from another when looking at the back window. I radio for the perimeter guys to head to this area and talk to the maintenance guy.
The maintenance guy says it a vacant apartment and he was just working inside it, (we got the wrong number initially, we were one off) so I restart Boomer again. He works a little bit maybe 20 or 30 yds and has no track. he turns and brings me back to that window and puts his nose on the window sill and stands there and starts breathing really deep. He then looks at me as if to say "do I need to draw you a map, their in here." I also notice out of all of the apartment windows this is the only one with out a screen on it. I send 3 officers to front to knock on the door and I cover the rear with another officer. No one answers the door.
I raise the window with my buddy covering me, move the curtain and look inside. I see muddy footprints in the carpet and mud on the curtains. K9 Boomer is really amped up and my K9 officer who is covering me with the M4 requests that I don't let Boomer bite him. I begin to give K9 warnings and Boomer starts sounding off and a woman answers from inside the apartment, begging me not to send the dog in. Now, keep in mind 3 officers just knocked on the front door and she wouldn't answer the door, although she heard the Police. I order everyone inside to "put their hands up and walk to the front door. When the front door opens all 3 guys give up.
One guy had 27 outstanding felony warrants from my city for burglary, larceny, andarmed robbery (he robbed an elderly woman at gunpoint at a walmart). All of these warrants are since December and our warrant bureau was passing out wanted posters with a reward for this guy. All three are gang members. We get consent to search the apartment from the tenant and find the gloves, mask, clothing and gun.
Within 40 minutes of the armed robbery, Boomer tracked about a mile, 1/2 across asphalt and concrete to the window they used and we caught all 3 guys with out incident. The guys all confessed to detectives and stated they were so afraid of the dog they all gave up. I am still proud of my little guy for doing a hard surface track in the rain and then being so pumped to get in the apartment all the guys gave up. That's why I love my job. The day before he tracked and apprehended a 12 time convicted felon, another track down streets through neighborhoods into the woods where the guy gave up. It's been a fun, rewarding week.
Thought you mind find this interesting.
Jim
by Sheesh on 25 January 2010 - 01:01
CONGRATULATIONS K9 BOOMER! Congratulations to you Jim. What a great story. It sounds like you and K9 Boomer are a fantastic team. What a job well done!
Theresa
by hodie on 25 January 2010 - 01:01
GREAT JOB BOOMER AND JIM!!!
Thank you for your service to all!
Thank you for your service to all!
by beetree on 25 January 2010 - 02:01
I am incredibly impressed by you both! You are makimg a difference and should be proud.
by animules on 25 January 2010 - 02:01
Great job Boomer and Jim!
by texgsd on 25 January 2010 - 02:01
Great job K9 Boomer and officer Jim!
by Davren on 25 January 2010 - 02:01
Thank you so much for sharing such a great story! K9 Boomer is truly a hero!! (You come in for a close second, Jim!!).
by outridinsolo on 25 January 2010 - 02:01
CONGRATULATIONS and thank you Joe and Boomer!
by Slamdunc on 25 January 2010 - 02:01
Hey thanks Sheesh, Hodie, Beetree, Animules, Texgsd, Davren, Outridinsolo for the nice words. It is very rewarding when tracks end that way and some really bad guys go to jail.
Hodie,
By the way Bernhard got us started on the scent discrimination and hard surface tracking 2 years ags. We've been working really hard on it lately and it seems to be paying off.
Renee, I just hold the leash and the dog does all of the work. especially making me look good.
Thanks,
Jim
Hodie,
By the way Bernhard got us started on the scent discrimination and hard surface tracking 2 years ags. We've been working really hard on it lately and it seems to be paying off.
Renee, I just hold the leash and the dog does all of the work. especially making me look good.
Thanks,
Jim
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