New K-9 unit for MSP
Patty RamusArticle Photos
The Michigan State Police has added a new four-legged member to its force in Northeast Michigan.
This new addition, trained to find narcotics or track people, is a two-year-old German shepherd named Bane. He started his first day of work on Sept. 5 with his handler, Trooper Jamie Bullis.
"It cuts down on response time to get a dog, especially if someone's missing," Bullis said. "Being able to get on those quickly is important."
Bullis, who works out of the Lincoln Dispatch Post, decided to become a handler with the MSP Canine Unit because he enjoys working with dogs and it's something he's wanted to do. To be selected for the position, he had to have at least two years of patrol experience, go through an interview and pass a physical agility test. Successful candidates then attend a 14-week dog training school, he said.
Untrained dogs are selected by Trooper David Yount of the division. Dogs are chosen based on their temperament and the intensity of their drive to hunt, find prey and work.
"It's a very rigorous process they put the dogs through. We look for dogs that like to work," Bullis said.
According to the MSP, all of the department's dogs are German Shepherds that were either imported from Europe, donated to the department or raised from puppies within the canine unit.
There are 27 handlers and 29 dogs in the canine unit across the state. Each handler receives at least 32 hours of training per month.
The handler-dog teams respond to different requests for services including traffic stops, drug raids, prison searches, dignitary visits, airport security, homicide investigations, natural disasters, missing people, border security and arson investigations along with regular road patrol responsibilities. On average more than 70 percent of the calls for service come from other law enforcement agencies.
Three of the 29 dogs are single purpose: two are trained in cadaver detection and one in accelerant detection. The remaining dogs are trained to track and apprehend criminal suspects, locate stolen property or articles discarded by criminal suspects, locate lost or missing people and conduct building searches. Bane and 20 other dogs have a secondary specialty in narcotics detection and seven have a secondary specialty in explosives detection.
Bullis said he and Bane could be called for service anywhere in the state.
"We try to work with the closest dog concept," he said. "In the last month we've had 13 calls we've been on."
Bane stays with Bullis at all times and goes home with him at the end of the day. The state provides for all of the dog's medical care, food and housing. Bane is kept separate from the family pets and is only fed and cared for by Bullis himself.
"He's a working dog, he's not a pet," he said. "He's got a great drive. He loves to work."
MSP Canine Unit dogs work on average between four to eight years depending on a dog's health and what it's trained for. When the dog is retired, the handler has the option of keeping it, Bullis said.
After a dog is retired or dies, the handler is required to undergo a performance review and a 10-week refresher coarse prior to being assigned a new dog.
Patty Ramus can be reached via e-mail at pramus@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.
