The “Perfect” Street Dog
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| The “Perfect” Street Dog
Twelve years ago when I was hired by the Atlantic City Police Department, I was thrown into a world of action, drama, stress and a whole lotta fun. The city was three times busier than it is right now and there were very few nights when the average patrolman was not called upon to answer 25 to 30 dispatched calls for service. This was an addition to all of the on-view calls an officer either initiated or signaled too to back up other officers. Almost every day was eventful with shootings, fights, gun and drug seizures, car pursuits and sometimes 2 or 3 foot pursuits per shift. Even the worst cop could not make an arrest. Like any police officer, your tour can routinely go from 0 to 100mph in a matter of seconds. It’s like all of the criminal elements phone each other and all initiate criminal activity at the same time. It’s this time when the department is at its weakest due to the quick simultaneous loss of police manpower. It is usually this time when an officer could find himself in a really bad tactical situation with one or many bad guys. Do you know what Atlantic City patrol officers scream on the radio when they are in dire need of help…………………….. “18 (dispatch) send me a K-9 on a 48 (hurry-up)! Back then the department had almost 15 patrol K-9 teams but some stood out more than others. K-9 Officers Joe Rodriguez and Bill Logan were two of our best. They had already reached what most patrolmen considered legendary status by the time I was hired. What’s “legendary status” in Atlantic City, you ask? Well, when your fellow officers know you’re not afraid to utilize your partner, not afraid of being sued, not afraid of being judged and your canine partner has physically apprehended more than 50 suspects in your one dog’s lifetime, basically you’re a legend. Do you remember that day, when you entered the profession of K-9 and met your partner for the first time? Maybe you had more than one to choose from, maybe you had no choice in picking your dog, maybe you were just so excited to be a new handler that you didn’t care what you got. But after the first few weeks of K-9 training, everyone in your class had an idea of what each dog was about. Some were born to be obedient, some to track or locate articles, others naturally hit so hard they took the biggest decoy to the ground every time. Some were friendly, others aggressive. As time went on, a new handler’s idea of what the “perfect police dog” began to change. No longer did you wish for a chain-saw with four legs but rather a dog that could be turned on and off like a light switch, on command by his handler. The best dog is the one that has the ability to excel in all the areas, is friendly enough to be a house-pet and aggressive enough to be feared by criminals. ACPD police officers and criminals alike all knew of such a dog. Retired Atlantic City Police K-9 Officer Bill Logan’s canine partner K9 Deuce were and are still referred to as one of the quintessential TOP DOG teams in the Atlantic City Police Department’s K-9 history. If you’re not a K-9 handler or you’re just visiting our website and you’re asking what makes a perfect police patrol dog? Let me fill you in on what I’ve learned over the last few years as a canine handler. Dogs can come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes but not every breed of dog is suited for police work. The majority breed of police patrol dogs in the world are German Shepherds. Like many others in our profession, I believe they are the best possible choice of breed to be used as a police patrol dogs. Some of their key attributes are intelligence, aggression, social-ability, strength, and sense of smell. To begin, the perfect police dog will first posses an exceptional genetic makeup in which excellent breeding combinations will be promoted. Dogs of European decent have emerged as the top dogs for police work due to being bred for their drive and for their work ethics. In Europe, breeding standards are very strict. Dogs are measured against a core set of physical attributes and are only bred if they meet these specific criteria. These dogs are bred and trained solely to service law-enforcement functions. A drawback to using European dogs is the cost. It costs an average of $5000 to purchase and ship a dog from Europe to a U.S. police department. But a department definitely gets what it pays for in return. The perfect dog will be the ultimate example of enforcing public order while naturally holding his composure among crowds, in the vehicle, public places and at home with his handler’s family. He would naturally make criminals nervous by his mere presence but have the ability to make a child smile by his friendly demeanor. He is very obedient and obeys commands without hesitation. He is always under control by his handler. He was not chosen for his looks or size alone but for his incredible potential. He will, on command, assist his handler by performing many tasks such as tracking, deterring, and guarding/holding suspects to inspecting the scene of a crime. Any good police dog makes a noticeable and beneficial contribution to the role of a police canine. Officers are relaxed and confident while the perfect dog is on scene because they know his capabilities and trust he will act on them for their benefit when needed. Retired Atlantic City Police K9 “Deuce” embodied all of these qualities and maybe even created some more characteristics that others would surely wish their partners personified. Duece was purchased from Czechoslovakia and came into service in 1999. He arrived branded with the name “Kendi” which for the life of Bill Logan couldn’t be figured out what exactly that name meant but he knew it had to be changed. So while sitting at an Eagles/Rams playoff game in Philadelphia’s old Veteran Stadium on 4th and 1, with the balance of the game hanging on this last play, Bill Logan heard the name he had been searching for. The entire stadium was chanting Deuce, Deuce, Deuce, and a like a warrior charging into battle, Eagles Running Back Duce Staley fought and gained that 1st down for his team. After graduating the John “Sonny” Burke K-9 Academy, Bill Logan and K9 Deuce got right to work apprehending the first of many suspects. With so many quality apprehensions, it’s hard to talk about them all but a few do stand out among the rest. His first apprehension, this one for Aggravated Arson and Attempted Murder, occurred within two weeks on the street. The suspect was hiding under a large amount of clothing in a closet. K9 Deuce burrowed through all the clothes and apprehended the suspect after he refused to surrender. Just weeks afterwards, Deuce apprehended a suspect wielding a samurai sword at police. Deuce apprehended the male on his arm that was holding the sword breaking his forearm with his bite and forcing him to drop the weapon. I’m sure you can imagine how incidents like this were conversed within the department making Deuce a canine favorite for working patrolman. In another incident, a male shot at police and then fled into a residence. This specific criminal was no stranger to ACPD and had assaulted numerous cops over the years. K9 Deuce searched the residence in the dark and apprehended the suspect while he was waiting to ambush the arresting officers. The suspect had a large butcher knife in his right hand at the time of the apprehension. Deuce must have known this also because he apprehended the suspect’s hand that possessed the weapon bringing the incident to abrupt end. But probably one the most recognized cases K9 Deuce was involved in occurred in 2006. ACPD had been searching for a male wanted for doing numerous home invasions and armed robberies all over Atlantic County. The suspect was in the process of robbing an elderly couple with a sawed-off shotgun. The incident occurred at a motel just off the Boardwalk. When ACPD arrived on scene, the suspect pointed the shotgun at police and fled onto a crowded Boardwalk full of families and visitors. The suspect fled under the Boardwalk and barricaded himself with a wall of sand. He waited to ambush any arresting officer with the loaded shotgun. K9 Deuce was deployed and dug through the sand apprehending the suspect on his leg tearing his calve off and forcing him to drop the loaded weapon. Now that’s a collar we all would want our canine partners to be a part of on any given day. Please don’t offend Bill by calling Deuce a competition dog, K9 Deuce was strictly a working street patrol dog, let me re-phrase that, a model street patrol dog. However, he still took 1st Place Overall Novice and always placed top ten in every PD1 Trial he ever attended proving he could survive in both the real world of patrol and in the realm of sport/competition. He was one of the few ACPD dogs that could be heeled by his handler on a crowded Saturday night Boardwalk without being attached to a lead and with complete obedience. He was one of the few who didn’t bark or jump around testing the patrol car’s suspension with every passer-by but was ready to apprehend anyone he was directed to by his master. He was by Atlantic City standards, the perfect street police dog. K9 Deuce served for 9 years before retiring in 2008 with nothing short of the highest honors. Throughout this team’s career, K-9 Officer Bill Logan and K9 Deuce were awarded the following recognitions: ACPD Police Officer of the Year (highest PBA award given to a patrolman) K9 Officer of the Year (awarded twice) Valor Award from the American Legion (awarded twice) Philadelphia Crime Commission Award Outstanding Service Dog Award Bear Search and Rescue Foundation Gold Medal awarded by Jane Goodall Extraordinary Service to Humanity Search and Rescue Service Dog USS Intrepid by Mayors Office New York City. Veterinary Foundation Award for Outstanding Service Dog 79 ACPD Departmental Commendation's 29 PBA #24 Medals of Honor During his career, he made an outstanding sixty-four (64) physical apprehensions and forced 236 suspects to surrender to police. That’s right, SIXTY FOUR apprehensions….. Like I said…..LEGENDARY. In 2005, after receiving what could best be described as a plethora of commendations, medals, numerous positive press articles and just an overwhelming amount of recognition from both the public and from within the police profession, K9 Deuce was nominated into the K-9 Hall of Fame by staff members of the Somers Point Veterinary Hospital. In 2010, at the end of Bill’s career, he was hit with an erroneous lawsuit. A civilian falsely charged that Deuce apprehended him during an incident. The case was a big deal and highly publicized due to the ACPD’s K-9 Unit being suspended at the same time for what was reported as an overabundance of complaints from apprehended suspects. Just so were clear, there were very few such complaints whatsoever. It was just our turn to be the political football. So many frivolous cases such as this are filed against departments by deceitful attorneys all searching for the same thing, a quick monetary handout at the taxpayers’ expense. This is due to the fact that it’s usually cheaper for cities to settle a case rather than to legally argue one through the judicial process. Bill exemplified strength and fortitude by proving himself innocent in court and winning the case. Fellow handlers, trainers and ACPD patrolman did their part in testifying on Bill’s behalf during this trial. The teamwork of these people from our profession and their testimony literally saved the future of ACPD’s K-9 Unit. We were put back in service just months after the winning of this trial. I hope the outcome of this case sent a clear message that we are not in the business of handing out free money to any willing criminal. The trial was Bill’s final test as a K-9 handler and he came out on top, what a way to end a 20 year career. Twelve years ago, on one of my first days on the job, while walking into roll call, I observed a K-9 patrol vehicle designated “K-2”. I had received a small segment in K-9 familiarization training during the academy and of course when asked if anyone would be interested in being canine handler, almost my entire class of 47 recruits raised their hands to eagerly volunteer. As a rookie, I couldn’t resist but check this dog out. As I walked closer, I observed a dog pompously sitting in the driver’s front seat staring at a large window located in the roll call room. He appeared comfortable enough in this seat to have put the car in gear and drive it away on his own. I pressed my face up against the tinted window fully expecting the dog to jump up and viciously bite and bark at me due to my presence. Nope, not this dog. He just sat there pretentiously, gave me a quick snobbish glance and then continued intensely staring through the vehicle’s front window without any care in the world; his handler was the only thing on his mind, a focus he would maintain throughout his career. I didn’t know just how special that dog was on that day or the drive he would later instill within me with my own K-9 career. As years passed, I came to know Bill Logan and K9 Deuce very well. One of the best teams I’ve ever worked with both as a patrolman and as a fellow K-9 handler. They were and still remain the team most ACPD K-9 Teams strive to beat, both statistically and in the arena of fame. Their career is a complete success story, much envied but always respected. K9 Deuce has been punched, kicked, choked, hit with chairs, a shovel, a baseball bat, doors, had his eyes poked and scratched but through it all he NEVER quit. He was always steadfast, never retreated and always finished his job. Just like former Eagles Running Back Duce Staley, K9 Deuce was and is a warrior, plain and simple. K9 Deuce was the model of the perfect police dog and proved it every day by always making the 1st down for the Atlantic City Police Department. Deuce’s story is every great dog’s story, forever defining the words faithfulness and dedication during every tour of duty, not just till retirement, but for life. By the way, Deuce lives happily at home, retired with his light switch turned off………… until needed! Download 19.06 Kb. Share with your friends:
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