Prescott Valley Police Departmentâs four new K9s, the most the program has ever had, presented an immediate challenge when they arrived in the community in 2018. All four came at the same time, all four needed to be certified, and one went to a brand new K9 officer. Four officers met the challenge, and now the teams are certified and making great progress against crime.
The Department was able to welcome the four new K9s thanks to a generous donation from community members. The donation came right on time, as PVPD had recently retired three K9s â Jake, Turco and Toyo â all who are now living comfortably with K9 officers.
Because Hines, an NPCA (National Police Canine Association) trainer, has family connections with the Netherlands, he was able to travel in 2018 to Rotterdam, South Holland, to personally choose and purchase three K9s. While there, he also happened on a 6-month-old Belgian Malinois pup that immediately impressed him with its intelligence and drive. After calls home to gain approval from the donors and PVPD command staff for the purchase, âGrootâ joined the other three new K9s traveling home to Arizona.
Hines selected the dogs with an eye to each of PVPDâs K9 officersâ abilities and experience. The handlers didnât know until the dogs arrived in Arizona which one they would get.
Officer Caleb Cozens, an experienced PANT (Partners Against Narcotic Trafficking) and patrol officer who previously handled narcotics Labrador Toyo, is now partnered with Chewy. Chewy has excelled on interdiction patrols and in the community. He has excellent tracking and article search skills. Hines said Chewy has shown outstanding bite work and âphenomenalâ building/area search skills. His admiration for the dog is obvious. âI have no complaint with that dog,â he said. The social Chewy, he added, reminds him of his first K9, Joey.
K9 Kion, partnered with Officer Layton Cooper, who previously handled K9 Jake, has an amazing gift for tracking, Hines said. The dog is easy going and social, and a bit smaller than his teammates. Kion has done well in his first months on patrol, with several drug arrests and assistance on Yavapai County Sheriffâs Office details.
Hines was excited to pair Kato, the youngest and ârawestâ of the new dogs, with new K9 Officer Justin Ellison. When he put the two together, Hines said âIn two years, that will be a team hard to beat.â Several months later, Kato and Ellison are ahead of the game, and proud to have a 52-lb. m**h bust under their belt. âKato loves Ellison, and he just wants to please,â Hines said.
K9 Groot, the puppy of the pack, doesnât look much like a puppy now. Heâs growing into a powerful K9 crime fighting machine with a mind of his own. âHe has real tenacity,â Hines said. âWhen he wants som**hing heâs hard to stop.â Hines said Groot is the hardest dog heâs ever had to train, because he is absolutely fearless and unwavering, no matter what is thrown at him. A bonus is that Groot is âsuper socialâ great with kids and other animals. For his age, Grootâs bite work is outstanding, Hines said.
The four-dog division now allows Prescott Valley to have a K9 unit available seven days a week, 16 hours each day. All of the dogs and their handlers are on standby if needed. In time, the K9s will be coordinated with the SWAT team.
Prescott Valleyâs K9s work drug interdiction details on major interstates such as I17 and I40, with great success as evidenced by several recent large drug busts. But Hines said he is more drawn to working with the dogs in the local community to take drugs and habitual criminals off the streets. âThen, the crime associated with those people also goes away,â he said.
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