Bud may be just six years old, but Sgt. John Durkin of the Suffolk County Police Department couldn’t be prouder to call him his partner.
Residents who attended the monthly meeting Wednesday morning at the stationhouse were treated to an informative presentation by Durkin, who handles the 85-lb. German shepherd he named Bud (after an uncle), and Officer Joe Perillo, who handles the eight-year-old, four-legged-friend named Falco, all part of Suffolk County’s highly regarded K-9 Department.
The program in Suffolk County dates back to 1964, after a string of burglaries in the industrial area of East Farmingdale led Pat Conley, the first Suffolk Police K-9 handler, to bring in a dog to help fight crime. Within the first year, burglaries dropped 80%, and the program found a permanent home with the Suffolk Police.
Today, with a total of 20 officers and 22 German shepherds, K-9 teams are certified by New York State. After a year of street work, the teams go on to specialize in narcotics, explosives, or cadavers. The highly trained dogs and their handlers primarily work shifts from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., as the dogs are most effective at night.
Selection and training of the dogs is expensive and time-consuming, as the purebred male German shepherds are purchased from breeders in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, or Hungary.
“I’d love to purchase our dogs in the U.S.A.,” Durkin said, “but you just can’t get good ones here - especially after 9/11.”
The canines, who come with a guarantee, also undergo extensive medical exams and months of training in areas such as obedience, agility, evidence recovery, searching, tracking, and criminal apprehension. “Our training is all about play and praise,” explained Durkin.
One challenge facing the Suffolk Police K-9 program is unrelated to crime. Because a lot of K-9 work involves searching, tracking and pursuit in wooded or grassy areas, the dogs and their handlers are often exposed to ticks, which can cause Lyme disease. “We’re constantly pulling ticks off the dogs, and constantly treating them,” said Perillo. Despite the best veterinary care, vaccines, and treatments, 14 of the 22 dogs recently came up positive for Lyme. According to Durkin, “It’s a big topic of conversation.”
The German shepherds typically have a career of 8 to 10 years, after which they retire to enjoy the rest of their days in the home of their handler, with whom there is clearly a strong bond. “These dogs are well taken care of,” Durkin said. “They are like family.”
Deputy Suffolk Police Inspector Thomas Napoli closed the presentation by commending the Suffolk Police K-9 program. “These are consummate professionals. They help train other agencies...and this is a premier program in the state.”
