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K-9 Unit or Police Service Dog Unit

Introduction

Hello,

My name is Deputy T.L. Johnson, and this is my K-9 partner, Benji. I'm the K-9 handler for the Coffey County Sheriff's Office Police Service Dog Unit. Thanks for visiting our web site, and I hope you enjoy the pictures, information, law enforcement and K-9 links.

Purpose And Background

The purpose of the Police Service Dog Unit is to provide a superior sense of smell, hearing, and potential aggressiveness as a valuable supplement to law enforcement man-power which aids in crime prevention and control.

Benji, originally purchased by the Coffey County Sheriff's Office in 1993 as a narcotic detection K-9, is a 7 year old purebred Belgian Malinois. Benji is currently certified in tracking, evidence recovery, building and area searches, officer protection, criminal apprehension and narcotic detection.

I have been a full-time, certified, law enforcement officer since 1989, starting with the Iola Police Department in Iola, Kansas, and have been employed with the Coffey County Sheriff's Office, as a deputy, since April 1994.

I was given the opportunity to become the K-9 handler in January 1997, accepted the position, and that's when the fun began.

Training and Certifications

Coffey County deputy Bill Miles is apprehended by Benji.

Frequently, multiple K-9 teams are deployed and teamwork is a must. Deputies Heather Kyle with K-9 Ajax and Kevin Gibson with K-9 Rimko, of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, train together and work together.

In emergency situations K-9 teams are sometimes deployed with assistance from the Kansas Highway Patrol aircraft. K-9 must be accustomed to flight.

Benji and I attend training each week, when permitted by our work schedule. This usually consists of 8-10 hours of both narcotic and patrol maintenance training. Benji and I are trained and certified in German police standards. We are currently certified as a DPO1 Patrol Dog Team and PSP2 Narcotic Detection Dog Team, through the Kansas Highway Patrol Police Service Dog Unit. Certification of Police Service Dog Teams must occur each year and are conducted in specific locations, set by the K-9 judge.

$34,995.00 U.S currency seized from drug courier

16.5 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in gas tank of automobile.

STATS

In 1997, certified as a Narcotic Detection Dog Team only, we were deployed 22 times, resulting in 8 seizures of property, drugs, paraphernalia, or currency.

In 1998, certified as a Narcotic and Patrol Dog Team, we were deployed at 7 schools for locker/vehicle sniffs, 14 K-9 demonstrations for various community service groups and area schools, 38 narcotic deployments and 11 patrol deployments.

Narcotic deployments involved vehicle sniffs, residential narcotic search warrant service, DUI check lanes, luggage searches at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, and money screens.

Patrol deployments involved search warrant service, evidence recovery, building searches and officer protection duties.

This year has been busy to say the least, as of the first of September there have already been 28 deployments.

Deployments this year consist of suspect tracking, shots fired calls, building searches, narcotic vehicle sniffs, K-9 demonstrations, school locker sniffs, officer protection calls, and money screens.

Already this year, Benji has apprehended suspects who fled from officers on foot, located over 2 pounds of marijuana, 16 pounds of methamphetamine, and $52, 435.00 in U.S. currency. No, that's not a typing error....$52,435.00.

Coffee grounds are commonly used in an attempt to mask the odor of narcotics.

U.S. currency found concealed in hidden compartment.

Public Relations Programs

Since 1997, Benji and I have participated in appearances and demonstrations designed to highlight the responsibility of law enforcement. Kids ask lots of interesting questions about the K-9 Unit and law enforcement which gives me the one-on-one interaction needed for the kids to build trust towards officers, learn drug awareness, and get Benji some much needed attention from the audience. Benji never met a kid he didn't like!

The demonstrations are tailored to any age group and are offered to the public free of charge. Area schools and community service groups are encouraged to inquire about a canine demo.

Narcotics detection demo given in LeRoy, Kansas.

Closing

Links to K-9 and other Law Enforcement sites
Kansas Highway Patrol - http:/www.ink.org/public/khp/
K-9's killed in the line of duty - http:/www.policeK-9.com/Valor/valor.html
American Belgian Malinois Club - http://www.breedclub.org/ABMC.htm
Kansas Law Enforcement Agencies - http://www.dustdevil.com/ppi/carlf/ks_law.htm
Kansas Bureau of Investigation - http://www.ink.org./public/KBI/
Kansas Sheriffs Association - http:/homepage.netspaceonline.com/~ksheriff/
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks - http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/
COPNET - http://www.copnet.org/local/ks.html