Given a choice, Key West Police Officers Joshua Laino and David Black wouldn't have it any other way: They trust their partners with their lives. And their partners-- Rocky and Trapper-- happen to be dogs.
And not just any dogs. These dogs are German German Shepherds, born in Germany, and trained at the Metro Dade K-9 Services in Homestead, under the tutelage of Tony Guzman, an internationally acclaimed dog trainer.
Both Shepherds are bi-lingual, learning their commands in German, and understanding the language of their human partners, too. And each of the dogs learned to deal peacefully and calmly with fellow animals and humans. Only the "bad guys" will feel their wrath.
"Rocky and Trapper cost $17,000," said Officer Joshua Laino, who is Rocky's partner. "But not out of taxpayer money. They were purchased through a state block grant."
Officer Joshua Laino first met Rocky, his partner last October, and Trapper met Officer David Black in November. Both sets of partners will be together for life. When Rocky and Trapper are "retired," they will still live at home with their fellow officers, as they do now. All have made a lifetime commitment to be partners.
Both Rocky and Trapper are trained to sniff out narcotics and have become quite the heroes in the police department when, only two weeks on the job, they sniffed out $89,000 in drug-tainted cash. This bust more than paid for their training. Even for this story, I waited at the police station for an extra 30 minutes to meet officer Black and Trapper. They were late because Trapper had just nailed a carful of reefer smokers on Cow Key Bridge.
Officer Black explained to me the power of the dogs' sense of smell. "Imagine the scent of fresh cut grass," he said. "Well, Trapper here can smell a human footprint like we can smell fresh cut grass-- only more than 30 minutes after the footprint's been made!" As a matter of fact, on Trapper's first day, said Black, he found an `eight ball' of cocaine (about three grams) buried in gravel in a parking lot. "We never would have found that contraband without Trapper," he said.
Rocky and Trapper are both a couple of years old now (Rocky is two years, two months old, said his partner Officer Laino) and both live permanently with their police partners. They each have a kennell in the officers' bedrooms. When asked if the dogs are always on guard for narcotics, I was told no. The dogs have off-duty hours too, and aren't going to go sniffing around their neighbors' houses without the proper command.
Down time to Rocky and Trapper is probably like work to us. "Sniffing out narcotics is like a game to the dogs, " said Officer Black. "Going to work is fun for them. "
Both dogs are trained in narcotics and patrol duties. Officer Laino said he couldn't ask for a better partner to watch his back.
"There's no debate. Dogs are the best back up in law enforcement, better than any human officer, " he said. Officer Black agrees, and gave a for-instance in the case of a burglary: Trapper is much better suited to go into deserted buildings, in dark places, through windows, in pursuit of criminals who might take human police around in circles. And most importantly, a police dog can keep an officer from being ambushed in a dark alley or building. His sense of smell and sight is far superior to his human partner's. And gunfire doesn't faze him.
"There's no law enforcement tool to compete with a canine," said Officer Laino. "After a community adopts a canine law enforcement program, you'll see a 30-percent drop in the crime rate."
"Forfeiture money from drugs will be put back into the community by, for example, helping fund the D.A.R.E. Program, " said Black, "or for special police programs not included in the law enforcement budget."
Healthy, loyal, strong and personable, Rocky and Trapper are beautiful specimens of the German Shepherd breed. And they are definitely law-abiding (hu)man's best friend.