Officers top canine training course
The Police Department now has two more able bodies to help take a bite out of crime. These European imports, and their handlers, have been trained to poke their noses into everybody’s business; everybody involved in the drug trade that is. Janelle Chanona reports.
P.C. Cesar Franco, Canine Handler
“I’m P.C. Franco from San Ignacio. This is my good partner for life, buddies, like a son to me… her name is Reza.”
For the past month and a half, three Belizean police officers were in Guatemala obtaining valuable information about canine use in the Police Department. They have returned home at the top of their class and with two four-legged friends.
P.C. Cesar Franco
“These dogs were once really aggressive. As time went on… part of our training is doing bonding with the dog, that means simply playing with the dog, with their toy, wrestling with them.”
But becoming friends with his dog was easier said than done for one officer.
Manuel Hill, Canine Handler
“I had a little bit of bad experience with this dog I have right now. He bit me a couple times but I got over it and right now we’re pretty good pals.”
Q: “Are you all together the entire day or how does it work with you and your dog?”
Manuel Hill
“Not for the whole day but everyday, everyday. We have to get that bond; have to get that bond.”
That bond is a vital part of drug detection. One of the officers spoke about some of the misconceptions people have about how dogs detect drugs.
Q: “I’ve always heard that the dogs that are used in this type of police work are addicted to drugs. Can you talk about that for me?”
P.C. Cesar Franco
“That’s totally wrong. How to put it? The dogs do not use any type of drug to do drug detection. No drugs are given at any time to any dog during drug detection. Never.
Entering a room or search area, we put the dog on an off-legging; that’s the command. We check the area for any open narcotics that the dog may inhale, probably kill the dog. They only use their nose and with the help of the handler, myself, they do their job.”
Reza and Black can detect marijuana, cocaine and heroin but can also be trained to detect other substances. They will be working with the Dragon Unit in Belmopan and come courtesy of the U.S. Embassy, as did the other two police dogs. The Police Department has had a canine unit since 1976.
Constable Jose Lopez who attended a three-month course in canine handling came in first in his class scoring 92 percent on the written exam. Constables Cesar Franco and Manuel Hill finished first and second in their six week course with Franco scoring 99 and Hill 97 on the written exam.
