EVERETT – Four police officers and their four-legged partners are ready to sniff out crime.
In a ceremony on Wednesday, officers from Everett, Snohomish and Kirkland were recognized for completing Basic K-9 Officers School under the instruction of Everett police dog handler Suzanne Eviston.
It is the first time the Everett Police Department has run a school for police dog handlers.
Previously, the department sent officers to Canada for dog-handler training. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it has been difficult to obtain the permits necessary to get armed police officers across the border, Eviston said.
Eviston has been training dogs for 22 years and has been a police dog handler with Everett since 1999.
She took the four handlers and their dogs through rigorous training, logging more than 400 hours. The dogs, all German shepherds, are trained to track down crooks.
The graduates included: Everett police officers Mike Braley and Joe Woods, and their dogs Quay and Hutch; Snohomish police officer Bruce Mitteer and his dog Kizar; and Kirkland police officer Jeff Trombley and his dog Max.
Mitteer is eager to hit the streets with his 87-pound partner.
“I’m looking forward to cleaning up the streets with this guy,” Mitteer said.
Snohomish already has a dog to sniff out drugs. Kizar is a tracker and will be used to nose out crooks who run from crime scenes.
Dogs are great deterrents and also keep officers safe, Mitteer said. With their acute sense of smell, the dogs also are able to identify where a suspect may be hiding much faster than an officer.
“It makes it a lot safer out there,” Mitteer said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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