SIMI K-9 TEAM WINS SOUTHLAND COMPETITION.Byline: Terry Kanakri Daily News Staff Writer Bodo and Max do it all - patrol the city streets, find hidden drugs, collar criminals. They're tops and they've got the medals to prove it. Competing against teams from 40 other K-9 teams from Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , the two Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. police dogs and their handlers, Officers Stephanie Shannon and Dwight Thompson, walked off with the ``Top Dog'' award. The team amassed the most points in the two-day trials in Bakersfield, which covered narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. detection, agility, obedience, search, and man-work. Police Chief Randy Adams said the community should be proud of the city's K-9 team, saying the award reflects hard work and dedication by the dogs and their handlers. ``K-9 competitions are a good measuring tool in determining how well department canines and assigned officers work together,'' said Adams. ``I'm proud of the accomplishments of our K-9 unit, and the community should be as well.'' The Top Dog award continued a winning tradition by the Simi Valley police K-9 Unit. Atlas, now a retired police dog living with his former handler Sterling Johnson, is a two-time champion of the World Police and Fire Games The World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) are a biennial athletic event open to active and retired law enforcement and fire service personnel throughout the world. The WPFG Federation is an arm of the California Police Athletic Federation (CPAF), a U.S. organisation. . Johnson's current canine, Charly, won the Top Dog competition in Bakersfield in 1994. Also that year, Charly and Johnson teamed with Carlo and his partner Officer Ron Chambers to win the team trophy in the Redondo Beach Redondo Beach (rĭdŏn`dō), city (1990 pop. 60,167), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1892. Once a commercial port for Los Angeles, it is a residential and resort city with a protected harbor and an excellent marina. K-9 trials. Officials say the department relies heavily on its dogs. The three dogs - Max, Bodo, and Charly - have helped officers in arresting 199 people during the six-month period which ended in March. During that time, the dogs also performed 221 building searches and 38 narcotics searches. Also, the dogs participated in 22 demonstrations at schools and community groups, to educate the public about the value of their work. ``I don't think you can put a price tag on tag on Verb to add at the end of something: a throwaway remark, tagged on at the end of a casual conversation Verb 1. them,'' said Lt. Don Austin, who is the K-9 Unit manager. ``They take the officers out of danger.'' It costs about $9,000 to buy and train a cop dog and it's worth every penny according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. their officer partners. ``The dog's like a human being,'' said Thompson, 35. ``His job is to do a lot of things, including putting his life on the line. We're a team.'' And working together and living together creates a bond between the handler and the police dog, Thompson said. ``It's amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. how you know when he's having a bad day, and he knows when you're having a bad day,'' he said, as he petted Max. Said Shannon, 30: ``It's an extremely unique relationship that a handler has with the dog. You're working with your best friend and he relies on you as much as you rely on him.'' But the best contribution of the police dogs is evident in their effectiveness in combating crime, Shannon said. ``They're just a huge deterrence deterrence Military strategy whereby one power uses the threat of reprisal to preclude an attack from an adversary. The term largely refers to the basic strategy of the nuclear powers and the major alliance systems. ,'' she said. ``The dogs give us an incredible advantage.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Simi Valley police Officers Dwight Thompsonand Stephanie Shannon are proud of their K-9 partners Max, left, and Bodo. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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