We introduced our newest police canine to the public just before Christmas. Shortly after midnight last Wednesday, December 31st, Brix made his first catch. His handler, Officer Chris Vollmer, was summoned to the area of a disturbance near 9th and South Streets. The suspect had run off as officers initially arrived, and was lost after a short foot chase.
Chris and Brix started scouting the area, and Brix quickly found the suspect. He had crawled under a parked SUV, pulled his coat over his head, and was trying to be invisible. Brix sniffed him, and was quite interested in crawling under the SUV to join him. The suspect was willing to step out on his own before Brix did so. He went to jail for a variety of charges, including 3rd degree domestic assault, some outstanding arrest warrants, and 1st degree sexual assault.
Police officers usually have vivid memories of their first arrest. I suspect that our four-legged colleagues do, too.
Well done Brix! And I must add you're quite handsome too.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Brix!!!
ReplyDeleteMay you never lose a suspect for lack of a dog on duty. Does this new asset give you K-9 coverage now on all shifts?
ReplyDelete9:34-
ReplyDeleteNot quite. If you do the math, it takes a minimum of 5.3 officers to staff one position around the clock. It would take slightly more than that for canines, because of the greater amount of downtime for training. Fortunately, we have three law enforcement agencies in our area with canine officers (LPD, Lancaster County Sheriff, and NSP) that work collaboratively and share well. Still, there are times when a dog would be useful, but none is readily available. I guess that's true about lots of things in life, though.
Well, hopefully the city administration will someday put funding public safety ahead of things like building transient-heaven parks with big walls that are ripe for gang graffiti. On a related note, there's a great, high-res photo of Brix here, out of which one can crop a 1680x1050 head and neck shot for some outstanding desktop wallpaper.
ReplyDeleteThat is one good-looking beast. Much as I hate to say it, one of the very few things they did do well behind the iron curtain was to keep their working-dog bloodlines sharp, in terms of both physical near-perfection and mental stability.
Very well done officers.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I never got to thank the officer that did traffic when my brother's body was flown in from MD, (Capt Yllescas.) Whoever the officer was I want to thank you.
Thank you all again who sent well wishes and sympathy.
Jenn Winterbauer
Was the successful track @ 70th & Van Dorn also sniffed out by Brix and Ofc. Vollmer, or did one of the other teams find the suspect?
ReplyDeleteIt was BRIX!!!!!
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