Police Dog Handler Gives Canine Cop High Marks

By Andrew Gorosko

If Andy Stinson was a schoolteacher and his canine companion Baro his pupil, the friendly, yet reservedly intense, dog would get an “A” on his report card.

In a recent interview, police patrol Officer Stinson, who is Baro’s handler, explained that the purebred German shepherd has served the police department well since entering patrol service last April.

In compiling the dog’s activities for the period from April through December 2005, Officer Stinson noted that Baro was involved in 17 vehicle searches for illegal narcotics. During those searches, the dog made positive indications for narcotics in 16 searches. Those 16 cases led to 12 arrests for narcotics possession, Officer Stinson said.

In the four other positive indications for narcotics following the searches, no arrests were made. Drugs had apparently been in use in those searched vehicles, as evidenced by drug odors, but no narcotics were found, according to Officer Stinson.

During drug searches, Baro (pronounced barrow) has located amounts of marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine, as well as drug paraphernalia, Officer Stinson said. The dog also will be trained to find the drug known as Ecstasy.

The drug paraphernalia that the dog has found includes marijuana bowl pipes, bong pipes, rolling papers, roach clips, needles, scales, plastic bags, tin foil, spoons, and crack cocaine pipes, plus currency, he said.

During vehicle searches, the dog also has located alcohol that was illegally in the possession of minors, Officer Stinson said.

During 2005, the dog also successfully tracked five people.

Baro tracked and found three criminal suspects who had fled from police, Officer Stinson reports.  Baro has received command training in the “bark-and-hold” technique, in which the animal will stop and repeatedly loudly bark at the assailant whom he has pursued and stopped, instead of simply attacking the person.

Also, the dog tracked two missing persons. One of those people was a male who had attempted suicide, Officer Stinson said. The other tracked person was a missing 15-year-old youth, he added.

Police also used Baro to search a building at Fairfield Hills after a burglary had occurred there, Officer Stinson said.

During January 2006, Baro’s vehicular searches led to four arrests, involving the possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, as well as the possession of alcohol by minors, according to Officer Stinson. During that month, the dog also was used to track a person as part of a health-and-welfare police call, he said. Additionally, the dog tracked and found a missing 14-year-old youth on January 29.

Since he started working with the police last April, Baro has received approximately 200 hours of training, Officer Stinson said. Baro received his initial training in the Czech Republic.

Besides his duties in drug searches and tracking, Baro serves an important public relations role for police, Officer Stinson said.

 The animal has been used in the police’s public affairs presentations for groups including the Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies, Citizens Police Academy, Ridgefield Police Commission, Ridgefield Board of Selectmen, a Newtown day care center, and also during tours of the Newtown police station.

Baro works the evening patrol shift with Officer Stinson, traveling with the patrolman in a marked Ford Crown Victoria police car that is specially equipped for police dog use. When not on duty, the dog, who lives with Officer Stinson, is used, as needed, by police for specific tasks.

Officer Stinson characterized Baro as “a great dog, obedient” who responds to commands well. Verbal praise is used to reward the dog after he accomplishes a task. To calm the dog after intense activity, he is allowed to play with a chewable dog toy.

Baro, who turns age 3 in May, is typically used in perimeter searches of vehicles, in which police suspect illegal drugs to be present. The canine sniffs the exterior of the vehicle seeking the scent of drugs that may be concealed within the vehicle. When the dog senses the presence of drugs, he alerts police of his find.

The police car that has been used to transport the dog has experienced multiple mechanical problems, so police are seeking to obtain a new vehicle for canine use, Officer Stinson said.

The policeman expects that the town-owned Baro will provide police with five years or more of service, depending upon the animal’s health. The shepherd breed tends to experience hip problems, which may curtail a dog’s working life.

Baro eats a mixture of chopped turkey meat, which keeps him primed for police work.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe stated that having Baro in service has been well-received by town police officers, by other police departments, and by the public.

The dog has been well-behaved and is an effective law enforcement tool, according to Chief  Kehoe.

Before Baro went into service, town police had not had a police dog in more than 20 years.