LYNNWOOD — The Lynnwood Police Department has a new, young officer— and oh is he gorgeous, strong and smart.
“Tanner” is also 90 pounds, very furry and has four legs— he’s the department’s new and second full bred German Sheppard K-9 officer.
Tanner, 2, and his handler, partner and best friend, officer Cole Langdon are currently in the process of going through their 400 hour training in King County.
But as soon as they finish, the two will be on the road and Tanner will need some protection —a bullet proof vest.
Lynnwood Police along with PetSmart are having a fundraiser from April 11 to May 2 in order to buy Tanner a bullet-proof vest. The custom fitted vests cost about $1,100. PetSmart has also donated several hundred dollars worth of food and supplies for both of the Lynnwood K-9’s.
Police department officials found Tanner at a breeder north of here who has consistently sold dogs to Canadian police.
According to the K-9 unit supervisor Sgt. Paul Hickok, there was a need to add a second K-9 officer, so that the city would be covered seven days a week and so they wouldn’t have to rely on nearby jurisdictions for coverage.
The new officer was added into the city’s 2003 budget and actually ended up costing quite less than first planned, said Lynnwood Officer David Byrd, who is 8-year-old, current K-9 officer “Cliff’s,” partner.
“He was less expensive then first thought— we found him at a private breeder in Stanwood,” Byrd said, “and we found that his breeding and temperament was such that we thought he’d make a good police dog.”
Byrd was part of a fundraising campaign a couple of years ago in which they along with a local veterinary clinic wanted to raise funds to buy a bullet-proof vest for Cliff. The event was so successful it ended up benefiting Cliff along with 12 other Puget Sound area police K-9’s.
Both Cliff and Tanner are trained to sniff out the “bad guy” and follow evidence tracks.
“They’re very valuable tools, they search large buildings, and wooded areas and help in the safety of the other officers,” Hickok said. “Their sense of smell is so much greater than a human—they strictly work by sense.”
Lynnwood Police Chief Steve Jensen said “the K-9 has been very efficient in capturing criminal suspects and locating evidence and narcotics as well as being a successful public relations tool.”
Tanner, in particular, Hickok said, is friendly and passive— yet also has a strong prey instinct.
Tanner’s handler, Langdon, who drove a motorcycle in the Lynnwood traffic unit for three years prior, said being in the K-9 unit is just what he’s always wanted to do.
“This is what police work is all about—catching the ‘bad guys’ and we’re not called unless it’s a real bad ‘guy.’”
About their training, Langdon said, Tanner is doing a great job— “Tanner’s a quick study—it’s the handler that needs to catch up, he laughed. “But I understand that’s normal.”
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