SIMI OFFICERS, DOGS TOPS AT K-9 COMPETITION.Byline: Douglas Clark
Douglas Clark (born 1942) is an English poet. Clark was born in Darlington, County Durham, England, to Scottish parents in 1942. Daily News Staff Writer The Police Department's K-9 units once again have made their mark, winning top honors at a 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. competition that involved more than 30 law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). . Officer Stephanie Shannon and her police dog, Bodo, won first place, while Officer Mark Rendahl and his canine partner, Cero, finished fifth. Together, 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. units won the team trophy at last weekend's event after competing in the areas of search, obedience and agility. Last summer Shannon and Bodo won top honors at 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. in Calgary, Alberta. ``Certainly it brings recognition to the department,'' said Lt. Don Austin, who heads the K-9 division. ``Redondo Beach is the best competition in California. Everyone agreed the competition down there this year was the best we've seen. From Stephanie and Mark's award there was, like, three points. That's really a tight competition.'' Shannon and Rendahl were taking part in a countywide police K-9 training session Tuesday and were unavailable for comment. Austin said that although the trophies bring prestige, the K-9 units provide an important element to the department's law enforcement strategy. For example, the German shepherds are used to track down crime suspects, such as the three burglars who were nabbed last year after robbing a Radio Shack See RadioShack. . Increasingly, though, the dogs are used to sniff out 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. . ``In that arena we use the dogs a lot to search residences and vehicles,'' he said. ``But I don't see any dramatic rise in other kinds of usage.'' The four officers in the canine unit are responsible for the department's four dogs 24 hours a day. The time together allows officers to continually work with their canine partners to maintain or improve their skills. ``It's one way of making sure our dogs are reacting the way they should,'' Austin said of the steady training sessions. ``And keeping our liability down that they don't do something they shouldn't do.'' The Police Department usually buys dogs when they are about 2 years old. Often the dogs remain effective until about the age of 9. Bodo is 4, Cero is 3. |
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