Police K-9s help their handlers take a bite out of crime

Officer Schupo has a full-time position tracking criminals and busting drug dealers, but his partner swears he doesn't work at all.

"He's never worked a day in his life," Cpl. Bryan Blanner said. "This is the fun part."

Schupo, a 6-year-old German shepherd, is one of two K-9s that work -- or, from their perspective, play -- for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Cpl. Bryan Blanner of the Cape Girardeau Police Department poses for a photo with his K-9 partner Schupo on Wednesday. (Laura Simon)

"Everything's a game to them," Blanner said of Schupo and Reno, a German shepherd who works with officer Roy Rahn. "They live to work. ... This is 'go and have fun every day with Dad' and things of that nature."

Schupo appeared enthusiastic as he and Blanner demonstrated his skills last week at the Southeast Missourian office.

Blanner gave a Missourian staffer a container of marijuana and instructions to hide it in a conference room.

Cpl. Bryan Blanner of the Cape Girardeau Police Department with his K-9 partner Schupo on Wednesday. (Laura Simon)

Blanner spoke a word in German, and Schupo made a beeline for the spot where the container was hidden, knocking a telephone out of his way to get to it.

As soon as he found the container, Blanner gave him a rubber pipe.

"That's his reward," Blanner said. "He gets to strut around and show everybody his pipe and act like he's the cat's meow."

Cpl. Bryan Blanner of the Cape Girardeau Police Department with his K-9 partner Schupo on Wednesday. (Laura Simon)

The normally aloof Schupo trotted around the room, showing his prize to onlookers and even allowing a few strangers to pet him -- something he doesn't always do, Blanner said.

"He's not a pet. He's not anything like that. He's a working dog," he said.

Narcotics detection and tracking are Schupo's primary responsibilities, although he also is trained to protect his handler, search buildings, apprehend suspects and help with crowd control, Blanner said.

"Our No. 1 use of the dog is as a locating tool," he said. "We like to find dope and bad guys."

Blanner, who spends every Monday training with Schupo, described one adventure in which a man bailed out of a car and fled from police after a high-speed chase, eventually hiding under a shed.

The man seemed to be hiding something in one hand, Blanner said.

"I warned him, 'If you don't show your hands, I'm going to send in the dog,'" he said.

The man refused to comply, so Schupo pulled him out from under the shed.

"All I could see was his butt and that tail going and the fine, upstanding citizen screaming," Blanner said.

With Schupo's help, police safely arrested the man, who had been concealing a combination switchblade knife and brass knuckles, Blanner said.

Advantages

Blanner and K-9 handler Ben Davis of the Perry County, Missouri, Sheriff's Department said dogs have several advantages over their human counterparts.

"No. 1 is that nose," Blanner said. " ... He's found people a human officer would [miss] or had missed or could not find -- it would've been impossible -- and he finds them with ease."

Davis cited speed and power as key advantages for his partner, a 4-year-old German shepherd named Ugas.

Weighing in at 85 pounds, Ugas is big and fast enough to take down a human opponent.

"He does not slow up," Davis said. "He drives through the bite."

He also provides instant backup: At the push of a button, Davis can release Ugas from the Chevrolet Tahoe they use on patrols.

"It is very awesome when you got to an alarm call, and you have a backup right there in the vehicle," he said.

Reversible

While K-9s are capable of subduing a fleeing suspect, they also have the ability to stop before they hurt someone, Blanner and Davis said.

Once a bullet leaves a gun or pepper spray leaves a can, an officer can't call it back, even if a combative suspect stops resisting and begins complying with instructions, they said.

A dog, on the other hand, can stop on a dime and return to his handler if a suspect decides to cooperate.

"It's the only force option that we can bring back to us," Blanner said.

That option comes with a significant price tag: Davis said between buying the dog and training him, departments could be out $14,000 or more.

Not every police department can afford that cost.

In Southeast Missouri, Davis said, Perry County, Perryville, Jackson, Bollinger County, Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve are fortunate enough to have K-9s.

Other departments sometimes call for assistance.

When the call comes, Davis and Ugas are ready.

"I've been called out in the middle of the night, which is fine," he said. He grinned at Ugas. "We like it, don't we, buddy?"

Dogs will be dogs

That isn't to say police dogs are perfect.

"I'm personally very cautious around anybody when I have him out," Davis said of Ugas. "He is an animal. Regardless of how good we are together, he has a mind of his own."

Ugas' previous handler, who worked with him for about a year and a half, resigned from the department, giving Davis an opportunity he'd always wanted.

"I always wanted to be in law enforcement, and I always thought it would just be so awesome to have the dog," he said.

Davis and Ugas have worked together for about six months. They're still getting used to each other -- a process that can take up to a year, Davis said.

"Every day it gets better, and there's days that he's a rock star ... and then there's days that he's just like a kid," he said. "I'll give him a command, and he'll look at me like, 'Uh-huh. What'd you say?'"

Blanner has been there. He inherited Schupo from a former colleague about three years ago.

Schupo had to learn to trust his new handler. They worked with a master trainer and spent "lots and lots of time" together, Blanner said.

Over time, Schupo stopped growling and accepted Blanner.

"Feeding helps," Blanner said with a smile. "They suddenly like you a lot more when you're the person who gives them the food."

Although Blanner keeps him on a fairly strict diet to ensure he stays in shape, Schupo -- like most dogs -- enjoys an occasional treat.

During a recent drug bust, Schupo found marijuana in a vehicle. While Blanner was busy with the evidence and the suspect, Schupo helped himself to a slice of Imo's pizza he found in the vehicle, Blanner said.

"He knew I was busy and thought that would be the perfect time to sample it," he said, laughing.

Davis said living with Ugas is like having another child.

"He is just like another teenager," he said.

Ugas put his front paws on the table in front of him, stretching to investigate a bag and accepting a scratch behind the ears.

"He's a little teddy bear when he wants to be," Davis said, smiling at the dog. " ... It's just amazing how quick they go from being friendly to not friendly."

epriddy@semissourian.com

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