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Canine units get high-tech help
by Jason Dietrich
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Canine officer "Bullet" and his handler Officer Paul Hellinga. "Bullet" can be rough on police car interiors, particularly if he thinks his partner might be in trouble. Photo by Jason Dietrich |
Police dogs go through a rigorous training program to become canine officers. They learn to search for contraband and weapons, trail suspects and protect their handlers.
But dogs will be dogs, even if they're dogs with a badge.
The Redondo Beach Police Department requested funding Tuesday for two rugged portable computers to be used in the city's the canine units and an upgrade for another unit already in service. The computers, which will cost a total of $12,428.18, will bring the three canine units up to the level of the rest of the department's cruisers and stand up to the wear and tear that comes along with a police dog in close quarters.
"The dogs all have their own personalities. Some are more prone to teething than others. Some are more nervous than others. They're all very protective of their space. When their partner is outside the car they are basically on alert. 'Where's my partner, what's going on?' If they are anxious about that, then they act that out," said Captain Jeff Cameron of the Redondo Beach Police Department.
Almost all of Redondo Beach's black and whites have display screens for their mobile computers made by Fieldworks. But because of the potential for the dogs chewing on or knocking the screens around, officers asked for more durable Panasonic computers with sealed keyboards and magnesium alloy cases. Bored or anxious police dogs are prone to chewing on the gear when left alone in the cruiser. And one of Redondo's four-footed finest also has a tendency to lunge at the patrol car's windshield and windows when his handler is performing an arrest or questioning suspects.
"They used to have a dog over at Inglewood who chewed up the dashboards," Cameron said. ER