Stratford Police Dogs Put a Leash on Crime

Police officials throughout the region say their police dogs are among their most effective assets.

The K-9 teams, a police officer and canine partner, perform duties including tracking suspects and missing persons, arson accelerant detection and drug interdiction, which they are specially trained for.

The dogs are also taking on new tasks necessitated by contemporary global hazards. State police K-9 teams with explosive-sniffing dogs are now on patrol on commuter trains and at Bradley International Airport.

Police dogs serve a public relations function, too. Officers say the dogs are particularly popular with children, and some police departments routinely hold K-9 demonstrations at community fairs and festivals.

Even the few local police departments that don't have K-9 police dog teams call in teams from neighboring towns for mutual aid when an incident requires it.

Typically, the K-9 dogs are German shepherds, although a few are golden retrievers, bloodhounds, yellow Labradors and other breeds. Police officials in several area departments said they got their dogs from breeders in Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Stratford's K-9 Teams

has three K-9 teams, making it more likely that at least one team will be on duty during the busiest hours of the day for law enforcement.

Stratford officers Tom Clements, Bob Joy and Chris Goode say their K-9 partners have distinctly different personalities. Clements' dog Khan is the most energetic. Joy's dog Roscoe, the oldest of the three, is laid back. Gunny, Goode's dog, is quiet and alert.

Joy said Roscoe has found who he was tracking 58 times.

"That's got to be one of the highest stats in Fairfield County," Clements said.

The 58th tracking call occurred in December when Roscoe tracked down a domestic violence suspect who was hiding in some bushes.

Khan is the youngest dog, a replacement for Clements' previous K-9 partner, Zak, who died of natural causes while on duty in 2009. Forty-four K-9 teams from Connecticut and New York attended Zak's funeral, the Stratford officers said.

Pups in Proximity

The Milford Police Department has four K-9 teams and Orange has one unit. 

"Their senses are well above ours, especially smell and hearing," said Milford police spokesman Jeffrey Neilsen.

Milford police have a page on their website devoted to their K-9 teams, which includes information for the public on how to behave around the dogs.

Orange Assistant Chief Edward Koether said the department’s dog, Maximus, is a long-haired shepherd, who usually works the evening shift and is from Hungary.

"Little kids love to hug him," said Koether, adding that Max is trained to act aggressively and bark on command, but that's not a reflection of his temperament. "With canines, they are not reacting out of anger, they are acting out of training."

Dogs on Duty

State police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance said the state police have 95 dogs on duty across the state, some on patrol or at the ready at the various troop barracks, and others specially trained to sniff explosives or arson accelerants.

The state police also provides training programs for the dogs and handlers.

Has one of Stratford's K-9 units ever assisted you or someone you know? Tell us in the comments.