Featured Department: Small Communities Issue: Nekoosa Police, Spencer Police, Wood County Sheriff

ISSUE 62 AUG/SEP 2020

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10THAnnual International

2017

K9COP CONFERENCE & VENDOR SHOW

Nashville Sept. 14,15,16 2021 Tennessee

INSIDE:

Featured Unit: Small Communities Issue: Nekoosa Police, Spencer Police Wood County Sheriff

Nutrition:

K-9 Supplements: How to Begin

SWAT:

K-9s and Explosive Entry Ports

CENTRAL Wisconsin Small Communities Issue

NEKOOSA POLICE DEPARTMENT

In recent years, the City of Nekoosa like many other jurisdictions has been challenged by the societal afflictions that are taking a toll on communities all over the nation. The opioid epidemic has reached and penetrated the boundaries of the City of Nekoosa. We have experienced drug related overdose deaths and have seen dramatic increases in the number of drug arrests in recent years. In 2015, the Nekoosa Police Department effected 35 illegal drug arrests. In 2016, the opioid epidemic reached the city and the department conducted 192 illegal drug arrests, followed by 228 in 2017. Analysis of the 2018 statistics reveals that these numbers show no signs of decline.

Nekoosa, with a population of approximately 2,600, is situated on the beautiful Wisconsin River and is nestled in the center of Wisconsin, being one of four municipalities in Wood County. Nekoosa is located on State Highways 73 and 173 as well as on County Trunk Highway AA and is a main interchange for traffic traveling in and out of the area.

Nekoosa Police Department

Spencer Police Department

Wood County Sheriff Department

2,600 population 2019 K-9 Unit established

1,925 population 2019 K-9 Unit established

73,000 population 1994 K-9 Unit established

Nekoosa, WI

Spencer, WI

Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Nekoosa is home to Domtar Paper Company, which is the leading business employer in the area. Nekoosa hosts three schools, Humke Elementary, Alexander Middle School and Nekoosa High School, which pulls student population from not only the City of Nekoosa but also many surrounding areas. The city continues to be proactive in combating the opioid and illicit drug epidemic that plagues our community and surrounding area. Our proactive approach and focus on targeting drug abusers and dealers makes our department an optimal candidate for a K-9 program.

In 2018, serious planning began to implement a K-9 program to aid our officers in the detection of illicit drugs in our community. Detailed plans had been established and community support was strong; however, as is with so many small communities across the state, limited finances keep us surviving instead of growing. The City of Nekoosa was privy to the mutual aid access of K-9s from the Wood County Sheriff’s Department and the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department, but having K-9s readily available at the times they were needed was uncertain.

In August of 2018, the Nekoosa Police Department developed a plan to start our own K-9 Unit. Approval from the City Council was given and positive feedback from the citizens and businesses was key.

The Nekoosa Police Department went public with the idea of only obtaining a K-9 through

private donations and fundraisers. We had a goal number in mind to raise in order to start our program. These costs included the purchase of a K-9, housing, food, medical expenses, transportation, etc. In four short months, the Nekoosa Police Department had raised over $100,000.

Key donors were several businesses, grants and public donations. The donations just kept coming in. Citizens from the community and surrounding areas were dropping off donations faster than we anticipated. This spoke volumes to the Nekoosa Police Department that a K-9 was essential in our community.

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CENTRAL WISCONSIN: NEKOOSA POLICE • SPENCER POLICE • WOOD COUNTY SHERIFF K-9 UNITS

By March of 2019, planning and continuing funding was in full swing. Chief Woods and Officer Andrew Berg visited Jessiffany Canine Services located in Iron Ridge, WI to speak with owners Jesse and Tiffany Smith about their business of Police K-9s and other service animals. Jesse provided us with some background information about his knowledge and experience providing K-9s to departments throughout the U.S. NPD picked out a dual-purpose K-9 from Jessiffany that would benefit the City of Nekoosa. This was the first K-9 in the history of the NPD. In June of 2019, Officer Berg and K-9 Ivo (pronounced ee-vo) attended a five-week course.

K-9 Ivo is a two-year-old German Shepherd from the Czech Republic. Throughout the training, Officer Berg and K-9 Ivo worked drug detection, tracking, article search and handler protection.

Officer Berg and Ivo obtained certifications through Jessiffany Canine Services and the American Police Canine Association. Officer Berg and Ivo hit the streets of Nekoosa in the middle of July, 2019.

We held a two-day brat fry at the local grocery store and made over $7,000. We completely sold the grocery store out of meat and burger buns. In the beginning of Summer 2019, we held a golf scramble at Sand Valley Golf Resort, which netted over $10,000. NPD was approached

by The Animal Medical and Surgical Clinic in Wisconsin Rapids saying they would love to provide the medical care for our K-9.

Smith Lumber of Nekoosa contributes all of Ivo’s food and Shanna’s Pet Grooming keeps our him looking his best. Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog has also provided overwhelming support for Ivo and granted NPD a bullet/stab proof

vest, heat alarm and hot-and-pop system for the patrol squad which helps keeps our Ivo safe.

On Ivo’s first day of work, he had two drug busts. During the first, being only one hour into his shift, he located enough heroin and fentanyl in a vehicle to kill almost half of the City of Nekoosa.

In the last six months of 2019, K-9 Ivo had 50 deployments resulting in numerous drug finds and did tracking not only in the City of Nekoosa but also in surrounding townships and municipalities.

Officer Berg and K-9 Ivo train regularly and log at least one 12hour training with other surrounding K-9s monthly. These training sessions help keep Ivo’s skills sharp and allow him the opportunity to get real life experience in situations held during these sessions. In his off time, K-9 Ivo enjoys spending time at home, chasing tennis balls and swimming.

K-9 Ivo is an asset to the City of Nekoosa in so many ways. We believe that having him has formed a stronger bond with the community. He is very personable and we are approached often by members in the community who want to see him and learn about him.

On Ivo’s first day of work, he had two drug busts. During the first, being only one hour into his shift, he located enough heroin and fentanyl in a vehicle to kill almost half of the City of Nekoosa.

3 6 • K- 9 C O P M A G A Z I N E

Officer Andrew Berg & K-9 Ivo • K-9 Ivo is the first K-9 in the history of the Nekoosa Police Department.

• DRUG DETECTION • TRACKING

• ARTICLE SEARCH • HANDLER PROTECTION AGE:

2 YEARS OLD BREED:

GERMAN SHEPHERD COUNTRY ORIGIN:

CZECH REPUBLIC CERTIFICATIONS:

• Jessiffany Canine Services • American Police Canine Association

Ivo enjoys showing off his skills during public demonstrations.

We don’t think we could have been fitted with a better dog.

As time goes by, K-9 Ivo continues to be an asset to our community. Ivo gets used frequently in the City of Nekoosa and gets asked by surrounding municipalities to assist with traffic stops, tracks, etc. We look forward to the many more years we get to enjoy him.

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CENTRAL WISCONSIN: NEKOOSA POLICE • SPENCER POLICE • WOOD COUNTY SHERIFF K-9 UNITS

SPENCER POLICE DEPARTMENT The Spencer Police Department is a Village with 1,925 residents and covers just under two square miles. The department is made up of the Chief of Police and three full-time officers. The Village of Spencer is located on State Highway 13 between Marshfield and Colby/Abbotsford. We know that sometimes drug dealers will live and operate in small towns because they know that small departments typically don’t have the manpower to conduct

in-depth drug investigations. We like to think we’re the exception to that rule. In 2018, we began fundraising for a K-9 and in May 2019, we were able to obtain our first ever K-9, Ella. Ella is a 2 ½ year old, 60-pound, female Belgian Malinois has been on the road with SPD for just over one year now. She was born on Valentine’s Day in 2018 and is a dualpurpose K-9, trained in narcotics detection, article searches, tracking and apprehension.

In May 2019, Officer Mindy Stellmach attended a 4-week training course at Northern Michigan K-9 in Clare, MI. In those 4 weeks, she learned Ella’s German commands and how to use them and Ella learned to work with Officer Stellmach on the other end of the leash giving those commands. Ella currently uses a mix of German and English commands. The K-9 team attends annual training through WLECHA (Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handlers Association), a 3-day conference in which approximately 150 K-9 teams from across Wisconsin get together and train. This conference presents non-typical scenarios to force the K-9 teams to think critically.

In addition, Stellmach and Ella train 16 hours per month with area K-9s and will recertify each year. If there is any free time on their shift, they do a quick article search or a short track just to keep Ella engaged. Stellmach says that what she’s learned about Malinois is that if they aren’t put to work, they get bored very easily… and a bored Malinois is never a good thing.

In early 2018, we decided to see what it would take to add a K-9 to our department. We began fundraising with the thought that we could maybe have a K-9 in a couple years. Well, we received a few sizable donations from community businesses and organizations and a LOT of support from the community and ended up raising $80,000 in eight short months. One of our fundraising events was a street dance, where we received a $10,000 donation from one of our major businesses in town, Land O’Lakes. With that donation, Land O’ Lakes was given the opportunity to name the K-9.

With employee participation, they chose the name “Ella,” which is a play on the idea of mozzarella. With the $80,000 we raised in donations, we were able to purchase a new squad car equipped for a K-9 with a door popper and heat alarm. We also paid for Officer Stellmach’s training and the cost of the dog. We do a yearly golf scramble fundraiser so that our K-9 program is funded exclusively through community donations instead of taxpayer money.

Officer Stellmach has been employed at the Spencer Police Department for seven years and has been a K-9 handler for one of those years. Being a K-9 handler has been a dream of hers since being hired; it just didn’t seem to be a reality in a department of four. As it turns out, the community thought it was a great idea!

Ella lives at home with Stellmach and works whenever Stellmach works. Being in a small village, 3 8 • K- 9 C O P M A G A Z I N E

they’re on call 24/7 and always willing to come out and assist, even if it’s just for a vehicle sniff.

Although they haven’t had what would be considered to be a huge drug bust yet, they’ve been able to locate illegal narcotics and paraphernalia on numerous traffic stops. Ella is all puppy and all Malinois and that combination is exhausting! She thrives on pleasing Officer Stellmach and gets frustrated when she doesn’t

understand what is expected for her to do. Her tennis ball is EVERYTHING and she will move mountains for that thing. Her second-favorite toy is her KONG, which she takes everywhere with her. She also loves playing fetch, getting belly rubs and napping in the sun. Ella has come a long way in her training. The team’s first year has been so rewarding and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store!

Officer Mindy Stellmach & K-9 Ella • In May 2019, SPD was able to obtain their first ever K-9, Ella.

• DRUG DETECTION

• ARTICLE SEARCHES • TRACKING

• APPREHENSION AGE:

21/2 YEARS OLD BREED:

BELGIAN MALINOIS COUNTRY ORIGIN:

MEXICO

CERTIFICATIONS:

• Northern Michigan K-9 • Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handlers Association

Officer Stellmach has been employed at the Spencer Police Department for seven years and has been a K-9 handler for one of those years. Being a K-9 handler has been a dream of hers since being hired; it just didn’t seem to be a reality in a department of four.

As it turns out, the community thought it was a great idea!

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CENTRAL WISCONSIN: NEKOOSA POLICE • SPENCER POLICE • WOOD COUNTY SHERIFF K-9 UNITS

WOOD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE Wood County is located in central Wisconsin and is home to the geographical center of the state. Wood County has a wide variety of industries to include paper production, forestry, agriculture, metal fabrication and state of the art medical facilities. Wood County is located in two of Wisconsin’s five geographical regions. The first is the Northern Highlands, home to rich cropland

used to grow corn, soybeans and hay. The second region is part of the Central Plain and is flat and marshy. This area is ideal for cranberry marshes and Wood County excels in this area. The two major municipalities in Wood County are Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids. Wood County has a population of 73,000 residents and spans across 809 square miles.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Department has had an established Canine Program since 1994 when the department acquired K-9 Rico. At that time, the long and successful history of the Wood County Canine Program began. Since 1994, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department has had the privilege to have six additional canine members.

The K-9 Program consisted of one team up until 2008, when our second team was added.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Department relies heavily on community partnerships to fund and maintain our K-9 teams through monetary and material donations.

In March of 2020, one of those great partnerships was formed and the Whitetails Unlimited Wisconsin River Valley Chapter presented a donation for $10,000 to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department. This generous donation replaced K-9 Toro, who retired after a 10year career, with the department’s newest member, K-9 Sig. Because of this, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department will be adding a third K-9 team later this year. It is the goal of the Wood County Sheriff’s

Department to add a fourth K-9 team to have one on each patrol shift to better serve the citizens of Wood County as well as surrounding areas.

Since the inception of Wood County’s K-9 Program, all of our teams have been dual-purpose.

They have specialized in tracking and apprehension, handler protection and narcotics detection.

The K-9s contribute heavily on narcotics investigations and are vital during drug interdictions and patrol. In addition to narcotics detection, Wood County K-9s are responsible for providing the ability to track and apprehend violent individuals who are evading arrest and locate missing individuals.

Our K-9 teams train together monthly with other teams within Wood County to include the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department, Marshfield Police Department and the Nekoosa Police Department.

The Canine Teams also train with other programs in surrounding counties to include Clark, Taylor, Marathon, Portage and Adams. In addition to the monthly trainings, the K-9 teams are members of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handlers

Wood County Sheriff’s Department Canine Unit - ESTABLISHED 1994

K-9 Kilo

K-9 Rico

K-9 Friday

1994 - 1999

1999 - 2009

2008 - 2010

K-9 Toro

K-9 Ace

K-9 Sig

TOUR OF DUTY

TOUR OF DUTY

2010 - 2020 4 0 • K- 9 C O P M A G A Z I N E

TOUR OF DUTY

TOUR OF DUTY

2016 - Present

TOUR OF DUTY

TOUR OF DUTY

2020 - Present

Deputy Brandon Christianson & K-9 Ace • K-9 Ace’s first name was Aladdin but was changed shortly after arriving in the United States by Deputy Christianson.

• DRUG DETECTION • HANDLER PROTECTION • TRACKING

• APPREHENSION AGE:

6 YEARS OLD BREED:

BELGIAN SHEPHERD COUNTRY ORIGIN:

CZECH REPUBLIC CERTIFICATIONS:

• Jessiffany Canine Services • American Police Canine Association

Deputy Brandon Christianson has been with the Wood County Sheriff’s Department since March 2013.

Deputy Christianson began his K-9 Career when he was paired up with his current partner, K-9 Ace.

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CENTRAL WISCONSIN: NEKOOSA POLICE • SPENCER POLICE • WOOD COUNTY SHERIFF K-9 UNITS

Association (WLECHA) and attend the yearly conference for specialized training. Each K-9 is also dually certified from Jessiffany Canine Services and the American Police Canine Association every year.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Department also recognizes the importance of police K-9 teams in the community.

Their K-9 Teams are requested many times throughout the year to demonstrate what their duties are and how deputies utilize their amazing skills. Some groups making these requests are Kiwanis, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Boys and Girls Club to name a few. In addition to social groups, the K-9 teams are often requested to give presentations to area schools regarding the dangers of drug use and how they are used in narcotics detection. The Wood County Sheriff’s Department takes a collaborative approach with area schools to ensure the dangers of drugs in the community are well known with the youth in the community.

The Wood County Canine Program relies heavily on community support. Typically, canine programs throughout the country rely on donations to maintain and expand their programs. As stated earlier, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department was able to expand their program from two active Canine Teams to three with the partnership that was created with the Wisconsin River Valley Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited. Each year, the Canine Program receives donations that are invested. The goal of those invested donations is to ensure the canine program will provide the same level of community service and never decrease. In addition to monetary donations, organizations and individuals donate materials and time to help further the goals of the Wood County Canine Program.

One example of this was a project that was spearheaded by Amy Zondlo. Amy had a vision several years ago to create a calendar as a fundraiser for canine teams across Central Wisconsin. Through her hard work and dedication to area law enforcement, this vision became reality and the 2019 Central Wisconsin Regional K9 Law Enforcement Teams Calendar was created. This calendar highlighted current and past teams from Wood County Sheriff’s Department, Portage County Sheriff’s Department, Marathon County Sheriff’s Department, Taylor County Sheriff’s Department and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. It also highlighted teams from the Police Departments of Colby/Abbotsford, Everest Metro, Merrill, Marshfield, Wausau, Stevens Point, Loyal and Plover. The calendar was created solely through donated time and services from Photographer Amy Zondlo, Spectra Print, Moxie Creative Studio and Binding Edge. These calendars were then given to each department and sold. The money raised stayed at each department for the continuance of their programs. Through the generosity of the previously listed groups and individuals, thousands of dollars were raised. Through this project, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department created a partnership with Amy, who has continued to donate her time and talents and photographs our teams in action during their training.

4 2 • K- 9 C O P M A G A Z I N E

Deputy James Pidgeon & K-9 Sig

Czech Republic

• K-9 Sig was sponsored

by Whitetails Unlimited – Wisconsin River Valley Chapter. Because of their generous donation to the Wood County K-9 Program, Board of Directors of the local chapter came up with the name Sig.

• DRUG DETECTION • HANDLER PROTECTION • TRACKING

• APPREHENSION AGE:

1 YEAR 8 MONTHS OLD BREED:

CZECH SHEPHERD COUNTRY ORIGIN:

CZECH REPUBLIC CERTIFICATIONS:

• Jessiffany Canine Services • American Police Canine Association

Deputy James Pidgeon has been with the Wood County Sheriff’s Department since June 2009.

Deputy Pidgeon began his K-9 handler career in 2013 with his first partner K-9 Toro.

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