Academy gives students look at law enforcement work

    Dodge City Police K-9 handler Officer Brian McGrew walked a short distance away from a police dog, pretending to be a bad guy.
     When Ford County Sheriff's Deputy Troy Buller gave the command, his dog, Arko, swung into action. Arko ran toward McGrew, jumped and grabbed McGrew's jacket sleeve with his jaw, then hung on for a minute before dropping to the ground.
    Arko’s demonstration of how police dogs can bite and hold suspects was part of the third annual Junior Law Enforcement Academy, which took place this week at Dodge City Community College. The course introduced middle school students to law enforcement officers' work, from investigating crime scenes to handling police dogs.
    McGrew wore a heavy jacket outfitted with a special inner sleeve for protection.
    The students watched as McGrew's dog, Chance, investigated a wall in search of a pipe carrying the odor of drugs. After a few minutes of hunting, Chance found the pipe near the wall, prompting McGrew to praise him as he ran in circles near the officer.
    Later, a couple of students tossed their keys onto the lawn for Chance to find — a task the dog accomplished in only a couple of minutes. Once Chance had found the keys, McGrew rewarded him with a toy.
    Police dogs can perform a variety of tasks, from finding hidden drugs to sniffing out people inside buildings, McGrew told the students earlier in the session. And despite what people may have heard, they don't need to be afraid of police dogs.
    "These dogs are simply just regular dogs," McGrew said. "They're not mean, no matter what anybody says."
    But the dogs do require careful handling by dedicated, experienced officers who have completed a 10-week course, followed by additional once-a-week maintenance training sessions.
    McGrew's and Buller's dogs are trained to perform several tasks, including drug detection, patrol work, patrol tracking and evidence recovery. Tracking means the dog relies on ground disturbances and human scents left in a person's footprint to find that person.
    Evidence recovery involves smelling the strongest human odor on an object — such as a set of keys  — and sniffing out the object based on the smell.
    The dogs for their work and aim to please their handlers, who reward them with extravagant praise and toys.
    "He's just like a kid and wants to please me," Buller said after Arko completed a task.
    McGrew warned the students that although the dogs enjoy playing and appreciate affection, they should not be mistaken for pets.
    "These dogs are not pets, guys," he said. "They are simply another tool that we have, like the rest of the stuff that we carry."
    After McGrew and Buller put Chance and Arko through their paces, they calmed the dogs down and muzzled them so the students could get a closer look at them. The children gathered in circles around the dogs, admiring and petting them.
    Spearville Middle School student Nicole Brauer said she enjoyed learning about the dogs, especially when she watched Chance find the pipe with the drug odor.
    "I like working with them (the dogs) and seeing what they can do to help the public," she said.

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.