Aspiring police dogs, their humans learn the ropes in Roanoke

A new breed of officers is set to begin patrolling area streets next month.

Seven dogs and their police officer partners are in the middle of a 10-week course in Roanoke to become certified by the Virginia Police Work Dog Association.

If they pass a series of tests in late August, the pairs — three from Roanoke, three from Roanoke County and one from Rocky Mount — will begin work immediately, said Roanoke police Officer Randall Cox, the course’s instructor.

The dogs and their handlers are being trained in various disciplines, depending on the needs of their departments, including narcotics and explosives detection, tracking, suspect apprehension and general patrol. The course also includes basic obedience training for the dogs, most of which are less than 2 years old.

“We try to teach good tactics from day one so that these guys understand that they can’t necessarily always watch their dog work,” Cox said. “Sometimes they have to take cover and let their dog do their job and trust that their dog is going to get the job done.”

Cox, 44, has been a police officer in Roanoke since 1991 and a K9 handler since 1999. His current partner, Odin, a 20-month-old German shepherd, is the third he’s worked with.

T he dogs in the course learn by repetition and reward, Cox said. When they find explosives or drugs during simulations, the dogs are rewarded with a toy such as a tennis ball and a hearty “Good boy!”

“It’s a hide-and-seek game,” Cox said. “Whenever we have them searching for narcotics, they think they’re searching for the ball. When they’re searching for explosives, they think they’re searching for their ball.”

The course is as much training for the officers as it is for the dogs. The handlers learn to read the dogs’ body language when they find a hidden suspect or a stashed firearm. The dogs are taught to sit, lie down or show another sign when they find what they’re looking for.

“We could send in a whole platoon of officers, search every hallway, every trash can, every bathroom, every classroom, but the thing that the officers couldn’t search is concealed areas,” he said. “When they [the dogs] go into a building that a person has decided to hide inside of, there’s no money you can put on that. That’s keeping officers from having to go in and possibly be ambushed.”

Roanoke County police Officer Kirk Stickley and his K9 partner Jabbo, a 3-year-old shepherd, are using the course as training to search for explosives and firearms. Stickley and Jabbo were previously certified through a Virginia State Police course for basic patrol duties.

All of the dogs in the Roanoke course will be able to do basic tracking, patrolling and suspect apprehension, regardless of any specialized discipline.

After the latest participants complete the necessary tests, five K9 officers will be available to patrol in Roanoke and four will be on the payroll in Roanoke County. Several agencies in the region with K9s have partnerships, so a dog and officer from one locality can be called to another area if one isn’t available closer by.

Stickley, a member of the county’s SWAT team, has been a police officer for about six years. He said having a dog by his side has been a learning experience .

“There’s nothing really like it,” he said. “Everybody out here would take a bullet for you, but this guy really would. His sole purpose is to do his job and to protect me while he’s doing it.”

Cox, who along with another Roanoke officer in the course who is also a member of his department’s SWAT team, said having a K9 with the specialized group is an invaluable resource.

“When you get geared up with your helmet and your 80-pound vest, and you’ve got your rifles and your shotgun and your equipment … and the guy runs, you can’t catch him. You’d be lucky if you catch him stripped down in your shorts and your running shoes,” Cox said. “But the dog, he can catch him.”

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