From the Mayor

from theMAYOR A doggish police force

BY MAYOR KENT GUINN

Recently, I wrote in this space about the desire for the return of a mounted police unit in Ocala. There are many different tools at the disposal of police officers and among them are animals such as horses and dogs. Thankfully, we do not have to hope for a unit of police dogs – we already have that and I recently had the pleasure of going out on patrol with one of them.

I am amazed at the ability and the discipline of these dogs in conducting actual police work by searching for illegal paraphernalia such as drugs or weapons. I went on patrol with officer Roberson and his German shepherd, Marshal, who showed me firsthand how valuable the K-9 units are to clean police work. The night I tagged along, Marshal went on three stops, but his nose did not alert him to any drugs or weapons at the scene, although we were able to recover a gun the next morning. For these dogs, it’s all business and they play no favorites, which makes them especially good at policing. The dogs know only what they smell and don’t care what you look like or who you are related to or what your last name is – they only care if they detect something illegal on you. When Marshal was at work, officer Roberson warned me that “you don’t want to mess with him.” But when not working and with his favorite rubber ball in his mouth, “he’s like a baby.” The Ocala Police Department’s K-9 unit currently includes four officers, a sergeant, drug officer and five canines, four of which are dual-purpose (apprehension and narcotics detection) and one single-purpose narcotics dog. Since it is illegal to search a vehicle without probable cause, the dogs come in handy by being alerted to drugs or weapons thereby giving the officers the right to search. One thing I like about these dogs is that they will alert to drugs and often find more than just drugs. These dogs have been instrumental in putting away some of the worst criminals and we owe them a debt of gratitude – they put their lives on the line every day just like human police officers. To become part of the K-9 unit, both dogs and handlers must complete a 480-hour basic training program, pass a FDLE certification exam and receive a nationally-recognized narcotics certification. In 2021, the K-9 unit assisted with 34 tracks and 259 drug sniffs. In all, 46 suspects were captured by the K-9 units and 36 firearms taken off the street. Perhaps most impressively, among all the apprehensions there were only two bites. Besides alerting to drugs and weapons, these dogs are also helpful in apprehensions by chasing suspects in places that would be difficult or dangerous for the human officer. One of the dogs, Cheney, is also a certified cadaver detection dog and is instrumental in assisting law enforcement agencies in their searches for human remains.

We all love dogs and our law enforcement officials and what a great combination we have in them with the K-9 units here in Ocala! Their work is invaluable in keeping our streets safe.