Dogs bark and bite their way into local police ranks

During the New Castle County Police K-9 graduation ceremony June 24, the newly minted police dogs could not help but bark and fidget as a highlight tape from their training was shown.

After all, the two German Shepherds and one German Shepherd/Belgium Malonis mix – all males between the ages of 1 1/2 and 2 – are practically still puppies.

And the small crowd assembled in the Delaware Technical & Community College Stanton Campus’ gymnasium could not help chuckle at a scene where a hiding suspect is dragged out of a restroom stall by one dog.

Make no mistake: these dogs are ready to police the streets of New Castle County and Perryville, Md. Their graduation ceremony was the culmination of rigorous training that began in January and included battles with the snow, rain and now the heat, said New Castle County Police Senior Cpl. Mark Tobin, the canine coordinator.

Each of the canines earned New Castle County certification and National Police Canine Association certification in tracking, narcotics and patrol, Tobin said. Only about 30 percent of canine units in the United States have national certification.

Tobin’s new police dog, Chaos, is a 1 1/2-year-old German Shepherd from Holland that was purchased by the Wilmington Kennel Club. The canine will specialize in narcotics detection and patrol. Because Tobin gave the opening remarks, Chaos did not join the celebration until the end for photo ops.

German shepherds and similar breeds are usually picked for their endurance, athleticism, dexterity and mental make up.

“We need the right dog that has the right balance so they can do the job at hand, meaning the ability to protect us, the ability to go get people and the ability to go into a kindergarten and be social,” he said. “With that balance, the shepherd and the Belgium Malonis or mixes are built for that.”

The European dogs cost about $6,000 and, when all is said and done, it’s a $40,000 investment to train them, Tobin said.

And graduates are young so that police departments can get a return on their investment, he said. Police dogs can last eight to 10 years, as did Tobin’s recently retired partner, Nike. This impressive canine seized $1.2 million worth of narcotics during his career.

The training causes a lot of bumps and bruises caused by sizeable dogs running at handlers 20 miles per hour and jarring them as they bite down on their arms, Tobin said. But it’s worth it when the canines catch the bad guys.

“I’m not a 4.4 runner. You can run. That’s fine. But I’ve got a 4.4 sprinter in the car that’s going to get ya,” Tobin said.

Middletown Police Chief Henry Tobin was on hand to celebrate the addition of the force’s second police dog, Ares, who will join Nitro on the ranks of Middletown blue. Ares graduated with his partner, Officer Andrew Lambert.

“Coming from the county, I saw the distinct advantage of having a K-9 unit and the assets that they are – not only for the tracking but drug detection, bomb detection and so on,” Chief Tobin said. “Our dog [Nitro] has paid for itself probably about 35 times over. It’s money well invested.

“We have a lot of schools in our area, a lot of children, a senior population and occasionally we need the dog for tracking purposes, to locate a child or a patient that’s disoriented and so on,” he added.

Lambert, of Middletown, said the training was more challenging than he thought it would be. But it was worth it.

“Right when you get the dog he doesn’t know anything,” he said. “He’s just kind of all of over the place. And to see what the dog is able to do with the training is remarkable.”

Lambert and Ares were partners as of June 28.