Featured Department: Nebraska State Police

ISSUE 57 AUG/SEP 2019

$9.95

10THAnnual International

2017

K9COP CONFERENCE & VENDOR SHOW

Nashville Sept. 15,16,17 2020 Tennessee

INSIDE:

Featured Unit: Nebraska State Patrol Bitework: Focus/Targeting Box: Training Bites & Correct Placement

Advice & Opinion: K-9 Audits: Are You Doing Them?

NEBRASKA STATE PATROL

POLICE SERVICE DOG UNIT

FEATURED DEPARTMENT: NEBR ASK A STATE PATROL POLICE SERVICE DOG UNIT

NEBRASKA STATE PATROL POLICE SERVICE DOG UNIT The Nebraska State Patrol

4 0 • K- 9 C O P M A G A Z I N E

to six Troop Area Headquarters

was formed in 1937 as the

patrol more than 10,000,000

Nebraska Safety Patrol to deal

miles of Nebraska roadways a

with the rising problem of

year. By leveraging technology

traffic crashes on our state’s

such as real time crash data

roads. Today, the mission of

and analyzing calls for service,

the men and women of the

troopers are placed in areas

Field Services Division remains

where they can be most

the same but the way in which

effective. The Field Services

that mission is carried out

Division encompasses all

is vastly different. Nebraska

uniformed Troopers, Carrier

boasts 77,358 square miles,

Enforcement Troopers, Police

482 miles of interstate and

Service Dog handlers, Aviation

9,942 miles of highways.

Support Pilots, Community

Uniformed troopers assigned

Policing and Communications.

“PRO BONO PUBLICO” IS THE NSP MOTTO AND IS LATIN MEANING “FOR THE GOOD OF THE PUBLIC.”

The Police Service Dog (PSD) Division is a support division that provides assistance to other divisions within the Nebraska State Patrol as well as to outside Law Enforcement Agencies. The PSD teams are stationed across the state and help aid in the detection of controlled substances, locating lost or missing persons and the apprehension of criminals.

The PSD Unit started in 1988 when two German Shepherds

CORE VALUES • HONESTY • PROFESSIONALISM • SELF DISCIPLINE • OFFICER SAFETY • ATTENTION TO DETAIL • SENSE OF URGENCY • ADAPTABILITY • PERFORMANCE DRIVEN • TEAM ORIENTED

SGT. JASON PRANTE & PSD OTTO

TROOPER DAIL FELLIN & PSD COLE

PSD Otto is a 7-year old Belgian Malinois handled by 13-year veteran, Jason Prante. Sgt. Prante is a PSD Instructor/Evaluator and SWAT Assistant Team Leader. He is also an instructor in several other law enforcement discliplines.

PSD Cole is a 5-year old Dutch Shepherd, handled by Trooper Dail Fellin. Trooper Fellin is a 14-year veteran handler and is also a PSD Instructor/Evaluator/Judge.

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named Caesar and Falco were purchased with funds from a federal grant. Both had long and distinguished careers, making numerous seizures and apprehensions of criminals. Due to the success of this pilot program, the Nebraska State Patrol increased the number of PSD teams over the years. The division has grown from 7 teams in 2018 to now include 10 teams beginning in July 2019.

FEATURED DEPARTMENT: NEBR ASK A STATE PATROL POLICE SERVICE DOG UNIT

The Nebraska State Patrol PSD Division utilizes all dualpurpose dogs. One is an explosive detector, nine are drug detectors and all of them are used in patrol related incidents as needed. The State Patrol mostly uses the Belgian Malinois breed for its PSD teams. Both Dutch Shepherds and German Shepherds have been used in the past but the Malinois has proven itself to be a much more athletic and versatile breed to meet the Unit’s needs. The services that the Unit’s teams provide include narcotic detection, explosive detection, handler protection, tracking, evidence recovery, criminal apprehension,

TROOPER BRANDON WILKIE & PSD BANE

TROOPER MATT WORKMAN & PSD LUKE

PSD Bane is a 6-year old Belgian Malinois and partnered with Trooper Brandon Wilkie, who has been a PSD handler for 5 years and is also a PSD Instructor and SWAT Team Member.

PSD Luke is a 7-year old Belgian Malinois, handled by Trooper Matt Workman. Trooper Workman has been a PSD handler for 4 years and is also a PSD Instructor.

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building and area searches, crowd control and tactical deployment.

When the PSD program started in 1988, handlers and dogs received vendor-based training. The State Patrol is now fortunate enough to have several judges, evaluators and instructors on staff and training is done internally at the Nebraska State Patrol Training Academy in Grand Island. In addition to training agency personnel, the State Patrol Instructors provide training to teams across the region including local sheriff and police departments and out

TROOPER JUSTIN DAVIS & PSD JD

TROOPER BRENT POTTHOFF & PSD AMOS

PSD JD is an 8-year old Belgian Malinois and is partnered with Trooper Justin Davis. Trooper Davis, a 3-year PSD handler, is a PSD Evaluator/Instructor and SWAT Team Member.

Trooper Brent Potthoff has been a PSD handler for 3 years and is currently working with PSD Amos, a 2-year old Dutch Shepherd.

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of state agencies. The training course for a new team is 13 weeks and at the conclusion of the training sessions, the team must complete a certification in accordance with the Nebraska Police Service Dog Standards, which are mandatory standards enacted by the Police Standards Advisory Council in January, 2015. In addition to this certification, teams complete weekly training to maintain

FEATURED DEPARTMENT: NEBR ASK A STATE PATROL POLICE SERVICE DOG UNIT

their reliability, are audited monthly and must successfully re-certify every year to remain in service.

The Police Service Dog Division is dedicated to community awareness. The teams conduct educational demonstrations for schools and other community and civic groups in an effort to inform the public about the very special and important function provided to the community it serves and the law enforcement officers they

TROOPER AUSTIN DONNER & PSD ROME

TROOPER JUSTIN RAES & PSD CHASE

PSD Rome, a 4-year old Belgian Malinois, is the Unit’s explosive detection dog and is handled by Trooper Austin Donner. Trooper Donner has been a PSD handler for 1 year and is also a SWAT Team Member.

PSD Chase is a 5-year old Belgian Malinois and is just recently partnered and trained with Trooper Justin Raes, who is also a SWAT Team Member.

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assist. The public has responded by being very supportive with donations. Generous donors have purchased many of the Police Service Dogs that are working the street today. They have also contributed greatly towards the equipment that is needed to train and deploy the teams.

The Nebraska State Patrol PSD Division serves the metropolitan and rural areas of Nebraska with canine service in all environments. Statistics from 2018 include: • 111 Patrol deployments (79 arrests as a result of PSD involvement) • 361 Detector deployments

• 3,023 Hours instructing (police service dog, SWAT, range, defensive tactics, building search, active killer, etc.)

• Seizures include 3,383 pounds of marijuana, 51 pounds of cocaine, 161 pounds of methamphetamine and 5 pounds of heroin.

TROOPER JEREMIAH FOSTER & PSD ATLAS

TROOPER JAMES MCKAIN & PSD LEE

Trooper Jeremiah Foster is a newly trained PSD handler and is partnered with PSD Atlas, a 2-year old Belgian Malinois. Trooper Foster is also a Crisis Negotiator.

Trooper James McKain is our newest PSD handler and is partnered with PSD Lee, a 3-year old Belgian Malinois.

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