For me, one of the highlights of WPA is getting to see a K-9 unit in action.
K-9 (Instructors: Bob Zill and Franz)
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| Franz. Putting the "German" in German Shepherd. |
- Bill and Franz work for a a neighboring police force. There are three dogs in the department - one for each shift - and they aren't friendly. Three alpha males do not equal BFFs. Franz is also not interested in being friends with Officer Zill's wife's pug.
- Bill and Franz have been together about a year. Franz is three years old and barring injury or illness should be able to work until he's nine or ten. He was imported from Germany.
- Vests worn by K-9s offer the same level of protection as those worn by officers. They're expensive, but it's a show of the regard in which the dogs are held by the public that a local teenage girl staged a dance and raised the funds for Franz's vest in 45 minutes.
- Franz is trained to search for a number of narcotics, apprehension by bite (the dogs are taught to grab the nearest body part available and hang on), tracking via scent and ground disturbance, building and area searches and handler protection.
We got to see two demonstrations, one in which Franz looked for and found drugs that had been planted in a vehicle, and apprehension/bite.
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| That pot never had a chance. |
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| This did not turn out as bad as it could, but once we knew the guy kept his balls, it was funny. |
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| A job well done. |
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