Canine-Unit Superstars Are Scourge Of Seattle's Bad Guys

The other day I spent a pleasant two hours with Sgt. Bob Martinson, head of the Seattle Police Department's canine unit - a 12-team, handler-dog duo that make life a wee bit safer for the rest of us citizens.

Martinson is a big man, a 20-year police veteran, who never tires of talking about Police Department dogs.

Most of the police dogs are purebred German shepherds, referred to as ``generalists,'' meaning they can do almost anything in police work. ``Almost anything,'' of course, does not mean they fire guns. But they ``arrest'' those who do.

And they do find guns. They also find drugs. They go into empty buildings, down alleys, over rooftops, into wooded areas. They are the scourge of bad guys, who fear them so much that many of them panic.

``We've asked armed suspects when they are cornered and captured why they didn't shoot the dog,'' Morrison said. ``One answer they've given is, `I was so scared I forgot I had a gun.' ''

Dogs are trained in the ``bite-and-hold'' philosophy. This doesn't mean they tear anyone to pieces; but let a suspect threaten the dog or his handler, and he will very soon have much to regret.

``These are wonderful dogs,'' Martinson said. ``They are trained in our own police-dog academy. We can take them anywhere, into a second-grade classroom, for example, and the kids can pet them. They're completely under control of their handler.''

Originally, when the canine - or K-9 - unit was started in 1971, the first dogs were trained in Germany, brought here for an average price of about $1,500 apiece.

But as time went on, it was found that German-trained dogs didn't entirely fill the needs of Seattle cops.

``It was decided it would be better to train our own,'' Martinson said. ``And for a while we used mostly donor dogs, people giving us dogs to train for police work. This proved to be time-consuming and sometimes disappointing.''

Martinson grinned. ``Everybody, it seemed, had another Rin-Tin-Tin.''

The canine unit now gets most of its dogs through reputable breeders at a cost of $200-$300, provided the dog develops into a good police officer in a year's time. But the unit encourages the use of donor dogs, always hoping, of course, for another Rin-Tin-Tin

There is no shortage of applicants among police officers to be dog handlers. But the requirements are fairly rigid - initiative, street experience, good work habits, wind-sprint conditioning to follow a dog chasing a suspect. Above all, of course, is the officer's ability to ``bond'' with his dog.

Before a cop can qualify as a dog handler, he must fill the role of a ``suspect,'' or ``quarry'' at the academy during constant, ongoing training sessions. It can take as long as three years to become a handler.

Once the officer becomes a handler, Martinson says, ``he's got a 95-pound lap dog on his hands.'' In other words, the dog is taken home as ``his'' dog, part of his family, and the family has to agree wholeheartedly to the addition of this new family member.

``Bonding is almost a chemical thing,'' Martinson said. ``We had one dog who was performing fine with his handler. But we assigned the dog to another officer and suddenly this dog just took off. He was wonderful. This is no reflection on the original handler, but the chemistry was just right for the second one.''

Use of police dogs has mushroomed over the years. Now, even the smaller communities have canine units and, of course, the King County police have their K-9s.

Indeed, every county and almost every sizable town in America uses police dogs. The Washington Law Enforcement Executive Journal is the official publication for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Its autumn issue is devoted almost entirely to canine units.

The local police-training academy is headed up by Officer Tim Tieken, a recognized authority in training of police dogs. He has been with the K-9 unit since 1974.

He has been a ``training master'' with the SPD program since 1980.

Dog- and human-interest stories abound in the K-9 unit. To be technically correct, the SPD's unit has only 11 active officer-dog teams. This is because Richter, a heroic performer, recently retired due to spinal problems.

Richter has an outstanding ``arrest'' record. Last January, to cite one example, Officer Tom Bacon was wounded in a shootout in Holly Park. Bacon radioed for assistance and Richter, a beautiful German shepherd, arrived on the scene with his handler, Officer Don Smith.

The suspect was armed with a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and a Uzi-style assault weapon. Richter and Officer Smith effected the capture.

Two dogs, intent on tracking a scent, have been killed by passing automobiles. Another, even more tragic event, occurred in the case of police dog Shawn.

While chasing a suspect on the roof of a building at Western Avenue and University Street, Shawn leaped over a parapet and fell four stories to his death.

One of the true superstars of police dogdom is Pounder, whose handler is Officer Gary Kuenzi. Here is the Pounder-Kuenzi record for one month in 1990:

Captured: ``Rock'' cocaine, 6 grams; powder cocaine, 161 grams; heroin, 5 grams; marijuana, 6 grams; cash, $43,467; numerous scales and paraphernalia.

``Pounder must be pretty tough,'' I said to Bob Martinson.

Again, the officer grinned. ``No, Pounder is a golden retriever with a high energy level. He wouldn't know how to bite anybody. We got him out of the Pierce County dog pound, hence the name Pounder.''

Emmett Watson's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday in the Northwest section of The Times.