HANCOCK COUNTY — As far as Scott Chapman from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department is concerned, he has the best patrol partner in the business.
They ride side-by-side every shift, work out together, eat together and even sleep at the same time.
Chapman is the handler for the department’s four-legged K9 deputy Spike.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe gorgeous young Belgian Tervuren, a herding dog, has been with the department since last year. Like his predecessor, Brix, who recently died while in retirement, Spike is making a big difference helping to keep the community safe.
“They make our jobs easier,” Chapman said.
While most police departments don’t keep statistics about how many arrests K9s are responsible for, county and Indiana State Police K9 programs have proved to be successful, law enforcement officials say.
They’re so productive two local police agencies, the New Palestine Police Department and the Fortville Police Department, are both running campaigns to raise funds, an estimated $20,000 to $25,000 each, to get K9 programs up and running.
In New Palestine, officer Tyler Batton will be the K9 officer as soon as the department can raise the funding — about $12,000 more.
Batton likes the idea of having a highly trained K9 partner who will be social but at the same time workable as well as a public relations gem.
“They bring a lot of crime prevention and are a real crime deterrent,” Batton said.
Officials had a dog on the department years ago, New Palestine Police Chief Bob Ehle said. But, the handler left the department and they retired the dog in 2001.
In Fortville, officials have raised an estimate $12,000 of the money they need to get a K9 officer.
They’ve been raising funds since last spring to replace a previous K9, Lannie, who had become skittish after the shooting of K9 officer Matt Fox in 2012.
Maj. Pat Bratton from the Fortville Police Department said Lannie, who was strictly a drug dog, showed law enforcement officials how well K9s work. The dogs are needed now more than ever, Bratton said.
“With the opioid epidemic, we really need one,” Bratton said. “We want to keep that stuff out of our communities, and the best way to do that is have a dog who can smell that.”
If New Palestine and Fortville officials can raise the funds and purchase the specially trained dogs, it would give county law enforcement blanketed K9 coverage throughout the county.
Dogs can seek suspects out, track and alert officers to all kinds of illegal drugs and contraband. A trained K9 dog team can search an area 50 times faster than a human and can smell up to 500,000 times better, meaning they can detect scents that even the most highly trained human officers cannot, according to K9s 4 Cops, a nonprofit that helps raise funds for police dogs.
Having a K9 on the force also allows a police department to be proactive in fighting crime rather than reacting to events and conditions, Bratton said.
The animals are also trained to be much more friendly than in years past, when they weren’t allowed to interact with citizens. Today’s police dogs become part of the community, visiting schools, getting treats from civilians and making friends wherever they go.
K9 handlers also get another set of eyes, a real on-board partner, if they need immediate backup.
Chapman contends it’s great having a police dog in the car with him on every shift. It’s also better if the animal is riding with a “dog person,” which most K9 handlers are.
“They become part of your family,” Chapman said. “You get to bring your partner — your best friend from your family to work with you every day.”
For Chapman, Spike, just like Brix, is not only a part of the force but also a real family member, and he loves and protects the dog just like the dog does him.
“He would not leave my side if something were to happen to me,” Chapman said. “The bond is unbreakable.”
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The New Palestine and Fortville police departments have set up accounts to raise funds to acquire police dogs. Here is how you can help:
New Palestine: gofundme.com/new-palestine-police-k9
Fortville: gofundme.com/fortville-police-k9
People interested in contributing can also contact the departments. The phone number for the New Palestine department is (317) 861-4225. The Fortville Police Department can be reached at (317) 485-4044.
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Here is the roster of the K9 officers and their handlers at police departments in Hancock County. The animal is listed first, followed by its human handler:
Hancock County Sheriff’s Department
Fero/Deputy David Wood
Argo/Deputy Ted York
Manni/Deputy Nick Ernstes
Reno/Sheriff Brad Burkhart handles Reno
Greenfield Police Department
Ace/Officer Caleb Freeman
Bak/Officer Jerami Summers
Eragon/Works with a GPD officer assigned to the Department of Homeland Security.
Officer Stephen Kalk is in training with a dog, who is unnamed at this time.
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The following breeds are popular choices to be trained as police dogs:
Belgian Malinois
German Shepherd Dogs
Bloodhounds
Dutch Shepherds
Labrador Retrievers
What do K9 dogs do?
Apprehension
Detection
Search and Rescue
Source: American Kennel Club
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