City of Glendale K9 Unit
Glendale K9's Get Some Air Time
June 8, 2009
On Wednesday, April 29th, 2009, the Glendale Police Department K9 Unit trained with the Tri-City Air Support Program, which encompasses Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena. This training consisted of educating the handlers on the proper techniques of approaching the helicopter, safely boarding the aircraft with the K9, and securing the K9 in the seat prior to take-off. After a practice run with the helicopter engines off, it was time for the real deal. After the blades were spinning at full speed, each of the K9 teams had a chance to load the helicopter, fly from Benedict Airport in Pasadena to the Glendale Police Shooting Range along the 2 Freeway, exit the helicopter, and begin a search for a “suspect.”
This is the second time that the K9s have flown in a helicopter. The first time was in Santa Barbara about two years ago. It is good to undergo recurrent training so that the K9s are comfortable with being confined in small places, the feeling of flight, and safely entering and exiting the helicopter. It may be necessary to fly a K9 team into an area (such as a mountainous area or a roof top of a high-rise building) to conduct a suspect search. By training the K9s to be comfortable with flying in a helicopter and conducting a search immediately following the flight, they will be ready to go when the real scenario occurs.
A special thanks to the pilots and tactical flight observers from the Tri-Cities who helped make this training possible. Also, we’d like to thank the K9 handlers from Pasadena PD and Burbank PD for their efforts in this joint “Tri-City” exercise.
Glendale Newspress article regarding this training day
Cruise Night 2009
May 27, 2009
Come visit the Glendale Police Department’s K9 Unit at the 2009 Cruise Night, Saturday, July 18th. The K9 Unit will be on Broadway between Brand and Orange. You will have the opportunity to take your photo with one of the Glendale K9s! Come by and meet the K9s, ask questions for the handlers, and check out some of the equipment that the K9 teams use on actual searches! There will also be official Glendale Police K9 T-shirts available to purchase. While you’re there, become an official Glendale Police K9 Club member. All proceeds directly benefit the K9 Unit, which is solely funded through donations. We look forward to seeing you there!
K-9 Sam and K-9 Marlin Locate Large-Scale Marijuana Cultivation Suspects
April 20, 2009
On 4/9/09, K-9 Sam and K-9 Marlin, with their respective handlers Ofc. Sholtis and Ofc. Wynkoop, assisted the Glendale Narcotics Detail and SWAT team in searching the Verdugo Mountains for evidence of a large-scale marijuana cultivation. These operations are often guarded by armed suspects and may be booby-trapped. The area that was searched was near the site of a large scale marijuana cultivation that was located in 2007. Approximately one hour into the search, the team located a suspect, who immediately ran from SWAT officers. K-9 Sam and K-9 Marlin were deployed in the area where he was last seen and quickly located and apprehended the suspect.
Both K9s continued to search the mountains for another two hours. K-9 Sam alerted his handler, to an area of thick brush. Ofc. Sholtis recognized Sam's behavior and knew he had found a potentially armed suspect hiding in the bushes. The suspect refused to show his hands and Sam was given the command to apprehend him. The suspect quickly came out of the bushes and surrendered to the awaiting SWAT officers. With the help of Sam and Marlin, two suspects were safely taken into custody and a large-scale marijuana grow with over 1,000 new plants was found and seized.
Glendale K-9s Enjoy a Day on the Lake
April 20, 2009
On 4/15/09, the Glendale Police K-9 Unit participated in a multi-agency K-9 training at Lake Piru in Ventura County. The K-9s participated in several training scenarios that involved water. One scenario required the K-9s to be deployed from a boat onto an island dock, where a suspect was apprehended. Another scenario required the K-9s to jump into the water from a dock, swim to the suspect, and apprehend him. It is important to always train with new scenarios so that the K-9s can be exposed to many types of environments. Even if the K-9s never have to swim after a suspect in real life, training with these types of scenarios builds confidence in the K-9s and gives the handlers an idea of how their partners may react under various conditions. The day wasn’t all work and no play. All the K-9s took a break to play in the water and fetch sticks…just like real dogs!!
K9s Undergo Gas Training
April 13, 2009
On Friday, April 10th, K-9 Sam, K-9 Marlin, and K-9 Quwai participated in CS gas exposure training at the LAPD training academy in Granada Hills. CS gas is commonly used by SWAT teams to create an uncomfortable environment for a barricaded suspect. Normally, a suspect exposed to such gas will experience a severe burning sensation in the eyes, nose, and any exposed skin. The effects are temporary, but severe enough to force a suspect to surrender. During a tactical deployment of CS gas, it is often necessary for SWAT members and K-9 teams to enter the location to search for the suspect if he does not voluntarily surrender. SWAT and K-9 officers are equipped with gas masks that allow them to function normally within a gas environment. K-9 Yudy and K-9 Marlin have previously been involved in such deployments, and neither K-9 experienced any ill-effects from the gas. They were able to successfully carry out their function and locate the suspects. However, it is recommended to introduce K-9s to gas during regular training so that they become accustomed to the environment for a real situation.
All three K-9s who attended the training were first brought into the gas-filled room with their handlers, who played with them with toys in order to relieve any stress that the dogs may have experienced. Once the dogs became used to the environment, they were commanded to search for a hidden suspect in the room. All three K-9s located the suspect, as expected. When the pretend suspect failed to comply with our orders, the K-9s were given the command to apprehend him.
Fiesta of the Spanish Horse
April 7, 2009
On May 2nd, the Glendale K9 Unit will be participating in the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. This is a spectacular equestrian event that raises money for cancer research. The K9 Unit will be conducting a 30 minute obedience demonstration in the Main Arena. We will also have a table where members of the community can get more information on the K9 Unit and purchase t-shirts. The K9 Unit is solely funded by donations through the Glendale Police Foundation.
Date: May 2, 2009
Time: TBA*
Location: Los Angeles Equestrian Center
480 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91506
* The demonstration will be sometime between 3pm & 6pm, before the main show begins. Once the time has been determined we will post it on the site.
Marlin Finds Gun
March 30, 2009
On March 28, 2009 at approximately 7:27PM, a call was made to the Glendale Police Department regarding a group of males congregating to the front of an apartment building. The 911 caller said one of the males was observed with a black handgun; furthermore it was reported that the male had hidden the gun in the bushes near the front of the location.
Upon arrival, the officers had detained the males but were unable to find the gun. That is when K9 Marlin came into play. Officer Wynkoop directed K9 Marlin to search the area where the males had been standing. Marlin quickly found the weapon; Great job Marlin! It was determined the black gun Marlin located was a toy gun. However, the orange safety tip was removed giving it the appearance of a real handgun. This is extremely dangerous as officers and members of the community may not know it is a toy gun.
Ventura County Police K9 Trials
March 10, 2009
If you want an opportunity to see the Glendale Police K9s in action, make plans to attend the Ventura County Police K9 Trials. This event attracts K9 teams from all over California. The K9 teams participate in activities such as searching for hidden subjects, negotiating obstacles, obedience work and protections skills
Date:
July 11, 2009
Time:
8 am to 12 pm: Open Area Search, Obstacle and Obedience
1 pm to 5 pm: Protection Work
Location:
Adolfo Camarillo High School
4660 Mission Oaks Blvd
Camarillo, CA
K9's at Valley View Elementary School
March 2, 2009
Above: Officer Hamilton and Quwai are the center of attention.
Above: Yudy and the children play a game of tug-o-war.
On February 24, 2009, Officer Aaron Hamilton and his K9 Quwai and Officer Maribel Feeley and her K9 Yudy visited Valley View Elementary School. They conducted a demonstration of the dogs' abilities and let the kids get to know their furry partners.
Swain's Art Materials to Offer K9 Merchandise
March 2, 2009
New Glendale Police Foundation Board Member, and owner of Swain's Art Materials, William (Bill) Lambuth, has offered to display and sell K9 t-shirts, caps, etc. to the public from his business at 537 N. Glendale Ave, (Von’s Shopping Center). The proceeds from these sales will support the Glendale Police K9 program, which is solely supported through community donations.
Swain's is open 7 days a week.
Website
Thanks to Bill and his wife, Maxine, for their generosity.
Nicole Parker Foundation Donation
February 2, 2009
Above: K9 Marlin protects his handler, Officer Wynkoop, from an attacker in the protective suit.
The Glendale Police Department would like to thank the Nicole Parker Foundation for Children for the generous donation of a protective training suit. This training suit is used to protect the police officer who is playing the role of an aggressor. The suit allows the agitator to engage the police K9s in realistic training, while protecting the agitator. Our program is supported solely through donations from the community; the purchase of this important training aid would not have been possible without this generous donation.
K-9 Quwai is Sidelined Due to Injury: Surgeries Needed
January 27, 2009
K-9 Quwai looks ready for action, but will have to be sidelined for a few months while recovering from two surgeries.
It is inherent in the work that police canines perform that they run a greater risk of injury than a typical house pet. No matter how much training and exercise a police canine undergoes, the risk of injury from running, jumping, even fighting with suspects is always a possibility. Glendale Police K-9 Quwai has sustained a partial tear in both his anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL), which will require two surgeries to correct. It is not known if the injury was the result of one incident, or something that had developed over time. Similar to human athletes, this injury can occur in dogs when the ligament that joins the femur and tibia is stretched or moved in a direction that is not natural. This can occur if a dog lands awkwardly from a jump or is simply running on slippery floors.
When the cruciate ligament ruptures, the tibia slides forward when any weight is put on the foot (Figures 1 & 2). This sliding force is affected by the slope of the tibial joint surface. The surgery that will be performed is called Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy or “TPLO.” This surgical technique changes the tibial joint surface so that the tibia no longer slides forward relative to the femur (Figures 3 & 4). Stabilizing the joint will help protect against arthritis. Other surgical techniques that are commonly used involve using synthetic suture material to basically recreate the ligament. TPLO is a preferred method in larger, more active dogs because it requires less recovery time and it is less likely that the ligament will re-rupture after surgery.
The injury was first diagnosed by our team veterinarian, Dr. Ron Dalzell. Veterinary surgeons Dr. Jack Henry and Dr. Tim Crowe of Pet Emergency Clinic and Referral Hospital will be performing the surgeries. The efforts by Dr. Dalzell, Dr. Henry, and Dr. Crowe are supported by the National Police Dog Foundation and the Pet Emergency Clinic and Referral Hospital. K-9 Quwai is scheduled for the first surgery on February 6th, 2009. Recovery time will be approximately five months. The good news is that most dogs (over 90%) are expected to regain a very active and athletic lifestyle with no post-operative complications and without the need for any pain relieving medication. All dogs that suffer this injury and undergo surgery are likely to develop some degree of arthritis. However, if a dog is not treated, severe degenerative joint disease usually occurs not only in the affected leg, but also the well leg because of the increased stress on that leg due to compensation. K-9 Quwai unfortunately has a partial tear in both rear legs and will require two surgeries. The surgeries will be staged at least four weeks apart.
K-9 Quwai has been involved in numerous narcotic finds, violent suspect searches, and hundreds of public appearances and demonstrations. K-9 Quwai is a crowd favorite because of his good humor and playful personality. We anticipate a full recovery for K-9 Quwai. He will be missed on the streets during his recovery.
The Glendale Police K-9 Unit is solely funded by donations from the generous citizens, businesses, and organizations in Glendale and the surrounding area. All donations are tax deductible and are collected by the Glendale Police Foundation, a 501c(3) organization.
If you would like to make a donation to the Glendale Police K-9 Unit to assist with K-9 Quwai’s surgeries or to help fund the cost of training, food, and equipment, please send a check to Glendale Police Foundation, P.O. Box 10142, Glendale, CA 91209. Please write "K-9 Donation" on the check. Thank you for your generosity and well-wishes for K-9 Quwai’s successful surgeries and speedy recovery.
For more information about the National Police Dog Foundation and the Pet Emergency Clinic, please visit www.NationalPoliceDogFoundation.org and www.PetEmergencyClinic.com.
K-9 Sam Gets Extra Credit
January 2, 2008
Apparently, K-9 Sam is not satisfied with just being able to find suspects, evidence, and explosives. Now Sam can brag about being able to find drugs…well, not really. After officers caught a suspect after a short foot pursuit on Wednesday, December 16th, 2008, they believed that the suspect may have thrown evidence during the chase. Officers checked the area but were not able to find anything. K-9 Sam responded to the scene and conducted an “Article Search,” where he uses his keen sense of smell to locate anything with fresh human odor on it. Sam checked the side yard of the residence where the suspect ran and alerted to a folded up dollar bill that was slightly camouflaged by leaves. Inside the dollar bill was several pieces of crack cocaine. Sam also alerted his handler to a high area above the location of the dollar bill. Officer Sholtis checked the top of an ivy-covered block wall and found the suspect’s lighter tangled in the vines. Although Sam can now say that he found drugs, realistically what he alerted to was the human scent on the discarded items. Either way, thanks to Sam, the suspect has to answer for his offense AND a dangerous drug was recovered by officers instead of a curious child. Once again, K-9 Sam saved the day!
Happy Holidays From The K-9 Unit
December 17, 2008
(Left to Right, Quwai, Sam, Yudy, and Marlin)
K-9 Marlin Finds the Hidden Dope
December 17, 2008
On June 27, 2008 Officers C. Mc Donald and J. Barajas had conducted a traffic stop and found drug paraphernalia in the suspect vehicle. They also located several crucial pieces of evidence suggesting the suspect was a drug dealer selling in the Glendale area. Both officers had searched the vehicle and could not find any narcotics. They called for a K-9 unit. “Marlin” and I responded to search the vehicle.
“Marlin” searched the vehicle and alerted to a back seat area on the passenger side. Both Officer C. Mc Donald and I searched the rear seat area and noticed a head rest that was attached to the back wall. As we detached the headrest we noticed the foam in the back area had been hallowed out. A significant amount of narcotics and a scale was located in the hallowed out portion. Once the suspect noticed “Marlin” had found the hidden compartment he admitted to selling drugs in the area. Thanks to “Marlin’s” nose we were able to take a drug dealer off the streets. Great job once again!
Early Morning Wake-Up Call Yields Success for K-9 Sam
December 17, 2008
In the midst of dreaming about his next venture as a police canine, K-9 Sam was awoken in the early morning hours on Saturday, December 6th, 2008, to do what he was dreaming about…finding bad guys! K-9 Sam was needed to search for a suspect who burglarized a vehicle, then assaulted the owner of the car when confronted. The weapon used in the assault was a small sledge hammer. K-9 Sam was able to track the scent of the suspect, who fled the scene while officers were responding. Sam led officers to the rear of a property two blocks from where the suspect was last seen by the victim. Sam alerted to some bushes. Officers searched the bushes and found the suspect’s clothing, which was wrapped around a small sledge hammer and a Slim Jim. Unfortunately, the suspect fled the area. However, thanks to K-9 Sam, the suspect will be identified by the fingerprints that were recovered from the items left behind. Good boy, Sam. Now go back to sleep!
Yudy Goes on Vacation
September 4, 2008
Who doesn't enjoy a good summer vacation? Even our 4 legged K-9 partners enjoy a nice road trip every now and then. K-9 Yudy and her best friend Boomer, a chocolate lab, recently went on vacation with the Feeley family to beautiful Lake Tahoe. Yudy enjoyed going for swims in the lake, hiking the great mountains of Tahoe, and running along the sandy beaches chasing tennis balls. Yudy certainly took advantage of her time off! A vacation enjoyed by all!!
Robbery suspects definitely ran, but couldn’t hide!
September 4, 2008
Minutes after the robbery, patrol officers spotted the car and attempted to pull it over. The vehicle sped away, leading police on a high speed chase through Glendale. When the vehicle finally stopped at a cul-de-sac, all four occupants fled from the vehicle. One suspect was captured by officers after a short foot pursuit, however the other three were given the opportunity to run and hide. Several officers, including some from Burbank, sealed off the area to contain the three outstanding suspects.
K-9 Yudy and K-9 Sam arrived at the scene, ready to play a game of “Hide and Seek.” K-9 Yudy started in one direction from the car, while K-9 Sam went the other way. K-9 Yudy made quick work of finding the first suspect, who was hiding behind large trash cans several houses away…One down, two to go!
Meanwhile, K-9 Sam was hot on the trail of the two suspects who fled from the passenger side of the car. He led the search team of officers down a steep, ivy covered slope, finding one of the suspect’s hat along the way. K-9 Sam asked K-9 Yudy for some help and K-9 Yudy was ready to keep playing! K-9 Yudy checked a backyard several houses beyond where Sam was heading, hoping to cut-off the suspects. After going through several backyards, K-9 Yudy quickly closed in on the suspects, who tried to hide in a shed. One sniff of the door crack and K-9 Yudy barked excitedly, “Game over, bad guys!” The suspects wisely took their last opportunity to surrender peacefully and complied with officers to come out of the shed. Final score...Yudy-3, Bad Guys-0. K-9 Yudy is looking for some challengers in another game of “hide and seek.” Any takers?
K-9 Sam was used the following day to sweep several backyards covered with ivy for any evidence discarded by the running suspects. K-9 Sam recovered a pair of gloves and a cell phone that were covered in knee-deep ivy. What a team effort by Sam and Yudy!
Soft-Hearted Vet repairs Damage from Hardened Criminals
August 18, 2008
The Glendale Police Department would like to thank Veterinarian Christopher Frier of Camino Animal Clinic for the excellent care he provided to K9 Sam and his generosity.
Recently, Sam injured his teeth and needed surgery to repair the damage.
The total bill for the X-rays, examination, surgical procedure and related treatment totaled $1435.62. This entire amount was donated to the K9 unit by the Camino Animal Clinic. You can read the entire story on Sam’s webpage.
The Camino Animal Clinic is located at
700 N. Moorpark Rd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
(805) 497-0969
Website
Bed Provides No Cover For PAL
August 15, 2008
A parolee arrested in a La Crescenta neighborhood is behind bars tonight thanks, in part, to the keen nose of K-9 Sam. The PAL (parolee at large) failed to report to his parole officer for several months, which is a violation of his parole conditions. He had eluded police on several prior occasions, but was finally pinned down in a house in the early evening hours of Sunday, July 27th, 2008. Police gave several commands for the suspect to exit the residence. The owner of the residence claimed nobody was inside. Shortly after officers entered house, K-9 Sam led officers to a rear bedroom, which was heavily cluttered with clothing, boxes, and furniture. Even though the messy room provided several hiding spots, K-9 Sam alerted to underneath the bed. Several large suitcases were wedged under the bed, creating a barricade between officers and the suspect hiding underneath. Now confident of the suspect's whereabouts based on K-9 Sam's alert, officers gave one last warning for the parolee to give up. The suspect eventually complied with officers and was taken into custody without any injury to him or the officers.
Cruisin' With the K-9s
July 11, 2008
Come visit the Glendale Police Department’s K-9 Unit display at the 2008 Cruise Night, Saturday, July 19th, from 5:30pm-10:30pm. The display will be in the 100 block of West Lexington and will include photos, equipment, and of course, the K-9s themselves. Handlers will also be present to answer any questions you have about the dogs. They may also have some stories of exciting suspect searches or funny occurrences. While you’re there, check out the official Glendale Police K-9 Unit merchandise at the adjacent Glendale Police Foundation booth. On sale will be t-shirts, hats, and beanies. All proceeds from the sale of the merchandise directly benefits the K-9 unit, which is a donation-based program supported by the citizens and business owners in Glendale and the surrounding area.
"The Nose Knows!"
July 1, 2008
Once again, K-9 Yudy stopped another bad guy from roaming the streets of Glendale! On June 16, 2008, K-9 Yudy, and her partner, Officer Maribel Feeley were called to assist an officer in searching a vehicle for narcotics. The officer advised Officer Feeley he had already searched the entire vehicle, and only found a small amount of narcotics inside. He believed there may be more narcotics in the vehicle, since the male stopped driving the car was on parole for drug sales. Yudy went to work sniffing inside the vehicle, and almost immediately alerted to the front passenger side of the vehicle's dash board. The area where Yudy alerted was examined, and a hidden compartment was found! Inside the compartment were a loaded handgun and a large amount of narcotics. The compartment would not have been discovered had it not been for the sharp nose of a fine K-9 named YUDY!
21st Annual Redondo Beach Police K-9 Competition
May 27, 2008
On May 9th and 10th, 2008, K-9 Sam and K-9 Yudy (along with their human partners Ofc. Sholtis and Ofc. Feeley), competed in the 21st Annual Redondo Beach Police K-9 Competition. There were 29 police and sheriff K-9 teams from Southern California that competed in events such as narcotics detection, an area search for suspects, obedience, agility (obstacles), and suspect apprehension. Both Glendale K-9s competed in the open division and were matched up against other senior teams who have competed in at least three previous competitions. K-9 Sam had the highest score in the obedience event. This event required the dogs to maintain their focus on the handler despite distractions that included two suspects in bite suits kicking a soccer ball back and forth. K-9 Yudy aced the obstacle course and was truly a crowd favorite with the suspect apprehension work. After combining the scores for each of the events, K-9 Sam took 2nd Place overall in the open division and K-9 Yudy took 4th Place. Thanks to all who came out to support Team Glendale. We look forward to seeing you at our next competition on July 12th, 2008, in Camarillo at the Ventura County Sheriffs 3rd Annual K-9 Trial. The event is free and fun for the whole family. All four Glendale K-9s will be competing and this will be a great opportunity to see what our canine partners can do. See you there!
Glendale Community Foundation Grant
May 2, 2008
The Glendale Community Foundation has awarded the Glendale Police Foundation a $4,000 grant for the Glendale Police Department K9 Program. The costs for the canines, their equipment and specialized training are all paid for through community donations. This generous grant from the Glendale Community Foundation will pay for one year of specialized training. Each week the canines and their handlers attend 10 hours of training which consists of searching for dangerous criminals, searching for discarded evidence as well as specialized drug and bomb training.
The Glendale Community Foundation, a publicly supported charitable endowment with nearly $8 million in assets, makes grants from the earning of its invested contributions four times per year to local nonprofit organizations in the greater Glendale area. For more information on the Glendale Community Foundation please visit their site at www.glendalecommunityfoundation.org
The Glendale Police Foundation has been a strong supporter of the K9 Program since its inception in 2005 and we thank them for applying for this grant. For more information on their K9 Club or other fundraising opportunities please visit their site at http://www.glendalepolicefoundation.org/k-9-unit.htm
K-9 Sam Locates Stolen Copper Wire
April 23, 2008
There has been several reports of stolen copper in Glendale in the recent months. On Wednesday, April 23, 2008, officers responded to a report of a male stealing copper wire from the victim’s work truck in the 500 block of Thompson. Shortly after the broadcast, the police helicopter spotted the suspect in the area of Flower and Raymond. The suspect was detained by officers, but did not have any stolen merchandise on him. Ofc. Sholtis utilized his K-9 partner, Sam, to attempt to find the stolen merchandise by conducting a track of the suspect’s path and an article search for items containing the suspect’s scent along the path. K-9 Sam started at the victim’s truck and smelled the ground where the suspect was standing. K-9 Sam tracked the suspect’s path through a nearby pedestrian tunnel that went under the 5 Freeway, then led Ofc. Sholtis to the area of Cosmic and Raymond. K-9 Sam showed heavy interest in thick bushes that lined the power plant near the corner. Sam’s significant change of behavior led Ofc. Sholtis to check the bushes. Two spools of copper wire and a 100-ft extension cord was stashed in the bushes by the suspect, who most likely placed the items there when he saw police in the area. Thanks to K-9 Sam, the discarded merchandise could be linked to the suspect. The victim was very pleased to get his stolen items back, especially since he uses them to make a living as an electrician. Hopefully, investigators can link the suspect to other thefts of copper in the area.
Passing of Penny Hansen
April 23, 2008
On February 4th, 2008, the Glendale Police Department lost an incredible volunteer and the Glendale K-9 Unit lost one of its greatest supporters. Senior Volunteer Penny Hansen (2nd from right, front row) passed away from complications suffered during her battle with cancer. She was an amazing woman who donated her valuable time by helping this Department, especially the K-9 Unit, which is a program that is funded through financial support from public donations. In May 2005, Penny’s love of animals motivated her to organize the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol) unit into collecting recyclables in order to raise funds for the Glendale Police K-9 Unit. Thus far, they have been successful in raising approximately $4000.
Penny Hansen began volunteering for the Glendale Police Department five years ago, assisting in the COPPS office. Penny later decided to extend her service to our Department by becoming an RSVP Officer after completing a 12 week mini academy. Although an RSVP agrees to work one four hour shift per week in the field, Penny also maintained her position in COPPS answering phones, greeting the public and helping out whenever she could.
Penny was a tremendous asset to our volunteer program and was someone who truly cared about the community and the Department. She will be missed tremendously.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made on behalf of Penny Hansen to Glendale Police Foundation, “Cans for K-9” Program, P.O. Box 10142, Glendale, CA 91209.
K-9 Sam Locates Suspected Carjacker
April 21, 2008
On January 27th, 2008, a carjacking suspect attempted to steal the victim’s truck by displaying a shotgun. When the victim drove off, the suspect fired a round at the vehicle, shattering the back window. Minutes later, Glendale police officers spotted the suspect vehicle near Brand and Chestnut. One male ran from the vehicle, still holding the shotgun. A perimeter was established to contain the suspect from getting away and potentially being a threat to the public. Ofc. Sholtis and K-9 Sam responded to the location where the suspect was last seen running by officers. K-9 Sam quickly located the suspect hiding in thick brush to the front of an apartment complex. Despite numerous commands to show his hands, the suspect remained motionless. Knowing that the suspect may still be armed, K-9 Sam was deployed to apprehend the suspect, who refused to vacate his hiding spot. K-9 Sam pulled the suspect from the bushes, where officers were able to see his hands. He was safely taken into custody without any injury to officers or the public. The shotgun was recovered by patrol officers who re-traced the suspect’s steps. It was hidden in bushes near the street, still loaded with ammunition. Fortunately for the public, this violent criminal and his co-conspirators were taken off the street. Just a note about the value of K-9s: an officer claimed to have hand searched the bush prior to the K-9 search and did not see the suspect. Obviously, K-9 Sam had the advantage by using his nose to smell out the bad guy.
Sam Locates a Suicidal Male Under an Apartment Complex
April 21, 2008
On March 24th, 2008, Ofc. Sholtis and K-9 Sam responded to a call where a male suffering from mental illness fled from his apartment after county mental health employees arrived to check on his well-being. Fearing that the male may be suicidal and based on his erratic behavior, K-9 Sam was used to attempt to locate him so that proper medical/mental assistance could be administered. With Glendale Fire Department standing by, K-9 Sam sniffed the air vents of the entire crawl space around the apartment complex and alerted officers to the location of the male. An announcement was made for the male to come out of the crawl space and the male complied. The male was provided the proper medical/mental health assistance. He had a necktie in his possession, which he claimed he was going to use to hang himself.
This is the second person who’s life was potentially saved by K-9 Sam. Last year, K-9 Sam tracked a hit-and-run driver approximately 2 blocks from the scene of an accident. The driver of the vehicle, possibly DUI, ran from the scene after crashing his car into a parked truck in the area of Brand and Lomita. K-9 Sam obtained the scent of the driver from the driver’s seat of the vehicle, then led police to the 100 block of East Lomita, where the suspect was found hiding in thick hedges down a long, dark driveway. The male was unable to move due to injuries sustained from the collision. The Glendale Fire Department transported the male to the hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. Had K-9 Sam not located the male, necessary medical aid would not have been provided and the male may have died due to the extent of his internal injuries and his inability to move.