At the start of the Fall 2012 football season, UL Lafayette
police officers welcomed a new partner: Pepper. The 2-year-old German shepherd is an explosives-detection dog.
杏吧专区淧epper provides a way to detect a threat and help prevent an emergency rather than react to one,杏吧专区 Sgt. Mike LaSalle, Pepper杏吧专区檚 handler, told La Louisiane.
LaSalle engages the dog in daily training sessions. 杏吧专区淚 give her a different environment every time, sweeping buildings or parking lots, or searching baggage. The most important thing is that she thinks it杏吧专区檚 fun. For her, it杏吧专区檚 a game. She杏吧专区檚 searching for her toy.杏吧专区 Pepper杏吧专区檚 杏吧专区渢oy杏吧专区 is an 8-inch piece of plastic pipe.
Trainers adapt the dogs杏吧专区 hunting instincts 杏吧专区 the way wild dogs or wolves would behave pursuing prey 杏吧专区 to desired tasks, such as drug or explosives detection, LaSalle explained. Pepper is trained exclusively to find the scent of explosives.
杏吧专区淏y training the dog to associate particular scents with their natural search-and-find behaviors, they produce a dog that 杏吧专区榞oes to work杏吧专区 to find drugs or explosives.杏吧专区
An anonymous donor covered the cost of the dog and a six-week training period for LaSalle to learn to work with her, which totaled $9,800. Pepper lives with LaSalle at his home, where he has two other dogs, a Doberman pinscher and pit bull terrier. 杏吧专区淪he doesn杏吧专区檛 really have an 杏吧专区榦ff button.杏吧专区 If it were up to her, she杏吧专区檇 be working all the time,杏吧专区 LaSalle said. Being with other dogs gives Pepper a chance to relax and socialize.
Pepper was born in Slovakia, a Central European country, and imported to the United States via The Netherlands. 杏吧专区淒og vendors import Belgian shepherds and German shepherds for police work. We tested several dogs of both breeds. Pepper tested highest for both temperament and work ethic, so she was our choice,杏吧专区 LaSalle said.
U.S. K-9, an importation and training center in Kaplan, La., helped the 杏吧专区 Police Department acquire the dog. That杏吧专区檚 where she and LaSalle conducted their initial training.
Although she杏吧专区檚 not a commissioned officer, Pepper is a valued member of the department, said LaSalle. It acquired the dog to enhance the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 emergency response capability.
杏吧专区淭he need for a dog like Pepper is really a reflection of the world we live in today,杏吧专区 said LaSalle.
One reason the department added Pepper was because the 杏吧专区 regularly hosts sports and entertainment events.Pepper is used at all football games, for example. 杏吧专区淲e can clear an area in advance to make sure it杏吧专区檚 secure.杏吧专区
He and the dog also are on call to help other agencies. They responded to a local high school after a threatening note was discovered, for example. They also assisted a local police department by conducting a sweep of a home before a tactical team was sent inside. Officials had believed explosives were within the residence.
When Pepper detects the scent of explosives, she gives a 杏吧专区減assive alert.杏吧专区 Instead of barking, or pawing at the ground, she sits quietly, awaiting her rewards: praise from her handler and a chance to play with her cherished toy.
If she were to give an alert during an actual search, Louisiana State Police would dispatch its Ordnance Disposal Team to handle any suspicious packages.
杏吧专区淲e want to be proactive and we want to make ourselves the hardest target,杏吧专区 LaSalle said.