University police add K-9 unit
German shepherds Scout, Panzer join campus patrols
8 a.m., April 5, 2011--Scout and Panzer stand out in a crowd. They also command attention and generate instant respect wherever they happen to be working on the University of Delaware campus.
Under the command, respectively, of Patrick McCloskey and Michael Crew, master police officers in the UD Police Department, the black and brown two-year-old German shepherds make up the first canine patrol unit at UD.
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The officers and their canine partners recently received official recognition during a graduation ceremony held March 17 at Delaware Technical and Community College’s Stanton campus.
“We completed the 26-week canine training course given by the New Castle County Police Department,” Crew said. “We also received national certification from the National Police Canine Association.”
Patrick Ogden, director of public safety at UD, said the new K-9 unit reflects the UD Police Department’s commitment to pursue innovative crime reduction strategies and community policing initiatives.
“The unit will serve a dual purpose of explosive detection and patrol duty,” Ogden said. “They will be a force multiplier for the entire UD and Newark community.”
McCloskey said that training with Scout and Panzer began after the dogs were recommended for duty by trainers from the New Castle County Police Department.
“Although they are German shepherds, the dogs were actually born and bred in Holland,” McCloskey said. “They are trained to detect a variety of explosives, and they can also help with area and building searches.”
While training presents many challenges, perhaps the most significant is teaching the dogs what they need to know in a way they can understand, McCloskey said.
“Training kicks off with an acclamation period, where the officers and the dogs get to know each other,” McCloskey said. “Because the breed tends to be very alpha, establishing the proper working relationship requires something of a balancing act.”
With their ears raised and eyes taking in all the details of their environment, Scout and Panzer listen dutifully for commands from their police officer partners and handlers.
“You need to let the dogs know that you are the boss,” Crew said. “They have to know that they are not in charge.”
The dogs are trained to detect a variety of explosives, including black powder, C-4 (plastic explosive), TNT, deta sheet, a flexible explosive, ammonium nitrate and pyrodex, a smokeless black powder, Crew said.
“Once the dogs get the black powder scent tracing down, they move on to identifying other scents,” Crew said. “There is some small ingredient in the other explosives that has something in common with black powder.”
McCloskey said that besides detecting explosives and searching buildings and areas, Scout and Panzer can also track a missing person or track and apprehend a suspect fleeing a crime scene.
“The dogs are trained to pick up human scent,” McCloskey said. “They focus on one person and one scent, and they continue to smell out that scent until they find it.”
McCloskey, who graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, began working for the UD Police Department while still a student.
“Being a police officer was something that I always wanted to do,” McCloskey said. “Although your work is highly scrutinized, every day brings something new. This is what drives us to do our job.”
While on duty, the UD Police Department K-9 patrol, with officers Crew and McCloskey can be spotted in their new, blue and white, Hemi-equipped Dodge Charger police cruisers.
“When my dog is at home, he is a big baby,” Crew said. “But once he gets into the patrol car, he’s all business.”
Crew, the son of a Maryland State Police officer, said the trust that develops between police officers and their dogs makes canine duty unique.
“I like having a partner who will, no doubt about it, lay down his life for me,” Crew said. “If a situation came down to that, Panzer would give his life to protect me.”
Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Ambre Alexander