Officer, K-9 partner team up to protect and serve

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

By Sophia Voravong
Journal and Courier

The Tippecanoe County Drug Task Force credited K-9 units from area police departments with helping investigators recently nab 30 people, including several local residents, with a major trafficking ring suspected of bringing drugs to Greater Lafayette from Mexico.

Handlers say the dogs' powerful sense of smell bolsters efforts during drug interdictions by finding narcotics hidden in cars or on motorists. And daily, the seven K-9 teams in Tippecanoe County can be called to assist with bank robberies or to help search for an armed homicide suspect -- again because of the dogs' strong sense of smell.

Officer Jeff Dunscomb of the West Lafayette Police Department has been partners with 4-year-old Fonske for about two years now. Like other local K-9s, the Belgian Malinois lives with Dunscomb at home. The two communicate in Dutch, and they've been on more than 300 runs for service this year, said Dunscomb, 40.

"Fonske is always at my side, ready to help me do my job and to protect me," he said.

Here, Dunscomb explains what K-9 units do in Tippecanoe County.

Question: How are K-9s used in police work?

Answer: K-9s are used in this county to smell either drugs or bombs. Fonske is a Dual Purpose Narcotics dog. That means that he is trained and certified to alert to the presence of drugs and that he can track and locate suspects. He is also certified as a handler and officer protection dog.

Dogs are used to not only locate drugs but also to track missing people, suspects who have fled or are hiding, to clear buildings that have been broken into and officer protection. Many times a dog team is called to the scene of a suspect hiding from officers.

Once a K-9 team arrives, we find that many times the person will immediately give up so as to not risk being found by the K-9 team.

Q: What kind of training do the dogs and their handlers receive?

A: Fonske and I, as well as the other K-9 teams in the county, were trained at Vohne Liche Kennels in Peru. Vohne Liche Kennels trains dogs for many major departments, including the Secret Service, the NSA (National Security Agency), the Pentagon and several elite military units.

Fonske came from Holland already trained as all dogs do. Once matched up as a team, the K-9 officer and dog go back to Peru for five weeks of training. Once this formal training is over and the team is certified, the officer and dog still train almost every day.

K-9 teams in this county train together every other week as well. K-9 training is never ending, and the dog needs it to stay sharp with his skills.

Q: Why did you want to become a K-9 officer?

A: I became a K-9 handler for the challenge and the excitement. I have worked for the police department for 15 years and still enjoy this job every day. K-9 officers are used at the scene of almost all major crimes that occur in the county and are even sent out of the county to assist other departments from time to time.

Q: What's a recent example of a crime you helped solve or criminals who you've helped to find?

A: Fonske and I have been sent on many different crimes in the last two years. We have been dispatched to the scene of homicides, bank robberies, vehicle pursuits, burglaries, armed robberies, shootings, stabbings and many drug investigations.

Just recently Fonske and I assisted the Drug Task Force and the other K-9 teams with the seizure of pounds of cocaine and marijuana in the county.