“What Happens When We Work Together”

Hey everyone! It’s time again for the K9 Detail to give our thanks to the officers and details that help us do our job. I was called by a couple Team 7 officers (Officers Downs and Whitehead) to respond to the area of State College Blvd. and Vermont St. to assist them with a Domestic Violence (DV) investigation. Now, most would think, “Why call a K9 to a domestic violence investigation?” Well, when I arrived at the location, I was told by officers the suspect had fled the scene and was now in the City of Fullerton . The suspect was on State Parole and was currently a Parolee At Large (PAL). They also advised me that the suspect had previous arrests for weapon’s violations and resisting arrest.

            In this case the officers did a fantastic job of getting all the information for me and having it available to me when I arrived on scene. As a K9 handler we constantly have to evaluate situations and occurrences to see if they warrant the use of the furry officers some of us drive around with in our backseats. The more blocks of information we have available to us the better and quicker decisions we can make. In this case I not only had the fact that the suspect was a Parolee At Large but I also had his previous criminal history. This saved me the time of researching this information myself and made it possible for us to formulate and initiate a plan of action to take the suspect into custody. We called for more officers and responded to the suspects address in Fullerton where we had information the suspect was located.

            When we arrived in Fullerton , we made contact with the home owner who was not able to verify if the suspect was at home or not. We had the two occupants exit the house and were told no one else was in the home. I formed a search team consisting of Officers Downs, Whitehead, Sgt. Pena and my partner K9 Bruno. We also had the assistance of Anaheim Police Air Support helicopter “Angel” (piloted by Officers Hagenson and Grisotti) monitoring from the air in case the suspect ran from the house. They also made sure our containment around the house was intact. We made an announcement into the residence and began our search. After clearing the bottom floor, my partner, K9 Bruno located the suspect in an upstairs bedroom. My search team did an outstanding job of covering me and watching my back while I focused on my dog. Sometimes we have to put ourselves “out there” in order to better watch our partners and observe the behavioral changes consistent with them locating a suspect. We rely on the rest of you to keep us safe during these times.

            We were able to safely enter the room and while I took control of my dog, my team took the suspect into custody without any further incident. It was a perfect conclusion to what started out as maybe just a “routine” domestic violence call.  This example shows just what can happen when we all work together. After all in the end we are all out there for the same reason. To make sure the criminals are apprehended and end up in the Anaheim Bed and Breakfast we all refer to as the “Detention Facility.”

            Once again I want to throw out a great deal of thanks to the Team 7 officers and all the officers who help us do our jobs. We rely on all of you to help us do the best job we can. If we all work together, as in this example, all the calls we handle together will have just as good of an outcome. Remember the K9’s are here to help everyone in any way possible. All you have to do is ask. Be safe out there and we will see you on the next one.

                    
RJ Young / Bruno
Anaheim Police Canine Detail