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Bite Out of Crime
Police Department’s newest four-footed officer has strong bite, sensitive sniffer
By Stefanie Scott, Staff Writer, July 16, 2005 Observer

Like any police officer on duty, canine Badger sits in a patrol car, has a badge and even wears a bulletproof vest. But unlike his human counterparts, the four-legged officer doesn’t understand right from wrong; he only follows his handler’s commands to help fight crime in Greenfield.

Badger joined the Greenfield Police Department recently after finishing six weeks of training with his partner and handler, Officer Scott Zienkiewicz, at Southern Police Canine in North Carolina last month.

“The dogs have already received some training before we arrived, but the time was spent bonding and learning how to continue their training for the most part,” he said.

The 2-1/2 year old Belgian Malinois replaces Lazer, who retired in 2004 at age 12 due to a medical condition.

Officer Zienkiewicz and Canine Badger were paired up and spent early training sessions walking silently just to build trust and respect. But soon Badger was responding to verbal commands, which handlers give in Dutch.

“You form the bond pretty quickly; he goes just about everywhere I go,” Zienkiewicz said.

They work midnight to 8:00am and Zienkiewicz drives the squad car home because they always remain on call. The dog lives in a kennel in his handler’s back yard, except when temperatures get exceedingly hot or cold. Then he moves to an indoor crate. 

“He’s not a pet. He’s not going to lie in front of the fire while I feel him Cheetos,” Zienkiewicz said.

Badger was cross trained so he can work patrol and narcotic beats. Typical duties include tracking or conducting area searches for criminals, searching for drugs or evidence and searching buildings.

Daily Practice is Routine

Training continues with daily practice activities and monthly sessions with other departments.  Together, the K-9 teams work in vacant buildings for eight-hour blocks of time.

For the most part, officers who become handlers can plan to dedicate about eight years to that position, depending on an animal’s health, Zienkiewicz said. So it is often more likely for a younger officer to take the job.

Zienkiewicz took a job with the Police Department six years ago in hopes of eventually working with the K-9 unit. He received exposure by assisting other handlers in training.

Typical training exercises include obedience work, in which the handler administers commands such as heel, stay and lay down. Badgers knows 13 verbal commands and numerous nonverbal cues.

In another drill, Officer Chuck Fletcher put on a bite suit, a large padded jacket that instantly becomes a target for the trained dog. While Badger’s eyes immediately focus on the suit, he demonstrates his skills by following his partner’s commands and walking past Fletcher until Zienkiewicz gives him the command to bite.

Fletcher lurches toward Badger, who leaps toward the officer, sinking his teeth into the bulky jacket.

“That was a strong, solid bite,” Fletcher said. “The department’s lucky to have these guys. They really work hard with the dogs and when we go out with other departments, our dogs are always the first to bite.”

Chew toy calms K-9

Instead of bones or snacks, Badger has a rubber chew toy that serves as a reward for a job well done. Zienkiewicz keeps them in the trunk of the squad car, at home and wherever Badger goes. If his human partner were ever hurt in the line of duty, other officers know to give the dog his chew toy to calm him down.

“This is as good a treat for him as any,” he said. “He won’t let this go unless I give him a command.”

For Badger, training and play time are one and the same, his handler explains.

Within seconds of Fletcher leaving, Badger starts wagging his tail and playing with his toy.

“He’s not an aggressive dog unless he’s working,” Zienkiewicz said. “If Chuck came back right now without the suit on, he’d let him pet him and be just fine.”

Badger maintains good PR

In fact, Badger loves children and has already made several appearances in the community.  Public relations is just another facet of the K-9 unit duties.

Working as a police dog handler takes a major time commitment, which he credits the Police Department for recognizing. They’ve taken some of his former duties off his plate to free him up for training time. It has definitely helped that his supervisor, Sergeant Jay Johnson, and department head, Lieutenant Brad Wentlandt, previously served as dog handlers.

“Our department is really behind us,” he said.