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We hope you
enjoy this Special Edition of the CANINE CRIME BLOTTER by guest writer
Carole Flynn White at the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office!
| Most of us would love to have the life of a dog,
spending our days being petted, played with, fed well, and being a
best friend. Although most dogs are blessed with all of this, some
get a whole lot more.
In 1997, a German Shepherd was born in the
Czech Republic completely unaware of what life had in store for him.
At one year of age his breeders recognized his potential and he was
shipped to Surrey, British Columbia, to be placed in the hands of a
renowned law enforcement dog trainer. At the same time, Deputy James
Gibson, a ten-year veteran of the Snohomish County (WA) Sheriff's
office, was undergoing the painful loss of his partner, K-9 Deputy Recon,
who was killed in the line of duty while apprehending a notorious drug
dealer. What better combination than a skilled K-9 handler in need
of a partner and a dog ready for service in search of the same?
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All Deputies are briefed before going on duty. (Photo:
Adrienne Nichols / Photo Phases, Snohomish,
WA. Courtesy of "Pennies for Puppies"©)
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Highly attuned to the sights and sounds in his
world, Stryker knows when it's time to go to work. After sleeping
all day, while Gibson suits up, Stryker begins pacing his kennel in
anticipation of the long night on patrol. He's anxious to be in
"his" squad car, specifically outfitted for him with kennel,
blanket, chew toy, and water bowl.
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"Good cop/bad cop. How come I always gotta be the 'bad cop',
huh Jim?!" Sheriff's Office K-9s train every
week. K-9 Stryker demonstrates his partner protection skills
with Deputy James Gibson (left) and former Field Trainer,
Deputy J.
Castillo (right), who wears a protective sleeve.
(Photo:
Adrienne Nichols / Photo Phases. Courtesy of "Pennies for Puppies"©)
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First stop is the North Precinct in Marysville
for roll call, the daily briefing for all Deputies, to learn about
operations, local criminal activities and investigations, and BOLOs
(be-on-the-lookouts-for). Stryker and his fellow K-9s who report to
the South and East Precincts are an integral part of these briefings as
they often end up playing a vital role in criminal apprehensions.
With lots of "go-get-the-bad-guys" from human Deputies, the team
begins their shift.
Stryker recognizes radio calls and code tones
and when Gibson hits lights and siren and accelerates to speed to the
scene, he responds by barking and pacing his kennel, knowing we will soon
be harnessed up for a track and capture. This is the case when they
are called to find the fleeing driver in a felony stolen car chase that
ended against a tree in a residential neighborhood.
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Stryker rapidly picks up the scent and tracks
the driver to a lakefront home. He tracks to the end of a dock where
there is an overturned boat, but Gibson and his fellow Deputies can find
no one under it. Knowing the suspect can't be in the cold lake, as
they would see or hear him, Gibson takes Stryker off the dock to begin
searching the surrounding area, but Stryker is insistent on returning to
the dock.
Gibson and the deputies are truly puzzled—aside from the
overturned boat there is nowhere for the suspect to be because the water
is right up to the bottom of the dock. Taking him off the dock again
for another tour, Stryker leads the deputies right back to the dock and
this time, begins pawing at the cracks between the boards. Using his
flashlight, Gibson kneels down and sees hair. The "bad
guy" is clinging to the underside of the dock, half-immersed in the
water. Stryker has gotten his man!
Close to an hour after the search began, the
suspect surrendered and was pulled from the frigid water suffering from
hypothermia. According to the paramedics called to the scene, the
suspect would have died had he remained there much longer. "He
may be in prison for felony car theft and eluding, but he's alive,"
says Gibson. "He's got Stryker to thank for that, because he
wasn't about to give up."
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At his partner's command, Stryker leaps over a fence
during a demonstration at Marysville's Jennings Park. This was
a piece of cake; he can easily scale 6- to 8-foot obstacles.
(Photo: Dyan Leach. Courtesy of "Pennies for Puppies"©)
 Scoop
Senior Editor Wags comments:
You coulda just dug under it!
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Shift's end? ...Not quite. At 8:00 a.m.,
Gibson and Stryker are tired and ready to go home, but they can't just
yet. They have a very important appointment for a school assembly as
part of the "Pennies for Puppies,"© the community program that
supports the Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit. County students
enthusiastically support the cause. Gibson and his partners have
been an integral part of the program since the beginning. Now famous
throughout the County, Gibson gets the chance to tell students about being
a K-9 handler and when another Deputy plays the role of "bad
guy," Stryker gets the chance to show off his remarkable capture and
partner protection skills. There's always time for questions and
answers and petting time for good-guy-friendly Stryker who responds with
an abundance of tail-wagging. This is probably the most rewarding
part of his job and, like most K-9s, probably the one he does best.
From protecting the community and his partner
to a successful capture, Stryker finally gets his chance for a well-earned
breakfast and rest, but although he sleeps soundly, this ever-vigilant
police dog knows he and his partner can be called back to duty at any
time...and, he'll be ready.
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