Corridor K9 officers do well at competition

DENVER, Indiana - Area K9 officers brought home some serious hardware last month after participating at a K9 Olympics competition in Indiana.

Officers from the Cedar Rapids and Marion police departments, Linn County Sheriff's Office and University of Iowa Department of Public Safety competed Aug. 18-22 in the annual Vohne Liche Kennels and American Working Dog Olympic Trials and K9 Certification in Denver, Ind. At the end of the competition, which saw a record 131 competitors, the local officers took home 16 trophies for various events and team scores.

'All of the handlers from Iowa, we all sat at the same table,” said Jason Schamberger, one of Marion's two K9 officers, of the awards ceremony. 'It was pretty sweet at the end; we had all those trophies.”

The annual competition serves two purposes. K9 officers are required to recertify every year, requiring a trip out to Von Liche Kennels, where many local K9 officers were originally trained. It also gives officers a chance to test their four-legged partners' training and see how they stack up against other K9 teams. The event sees competitors from across the country. Police, Department of Defense officials and civilians all compete.

Schamberger said the event is a mix of work and play.

'It's fun because you get to see where your dog stacks up against other police departments and military dogs,” he said. 'You also get to see how much training has paid off.”

A majority of K9 dogs are dual purpose, trained in detection and patrol. Most dogs employed by police departments are trained in either narcotics of explosive detection, never both. At the Olympics, the dogs are split into divisions based on their detection skills. Within those divisions, K9 officers compete on their own or as part of a 3-officer team in detection and patrol events.

Detection events include residences, warehouses, open areas and luggage. Patrol events include tracking, obedience and apprehension.

Marion Police Chief Harry Daugherty said he was impressed with all of the K9 officers.

'We've got some of the best dogs in the United States,” Daugherty said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com

Results

Cedar Rapids Police Department

Officer Reid Lander and K9 Nero

l 3rd Place Explosive detection Scramble

l 1st Place Overall Team Patrol

Officer Curt Buckles and K9 Narco

l 3rd Place Obedience

l 3rd Place Overall Team Patrol

l 1st Place Control

l 1st Place Obstacle Course

Officer Amy Shuman and K9 Ryker

l 3rd Place Overall Team Patrol

Officer Chris Bieber and K9 Jenks

l 2nd Place Obedience

l 3rd Place Overall Team Patrol

Officer Casey Bilden participated as a judge this year, helping to score the 131 competitors.

Linn County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Chad LeMense and K9 Gucci

l 2nd Place Tracking

l 4th Place Narcotics search in a residence

l 4th Place Narcotics search in a vehicle interior

l 5th Place Overall Team Narcotics

l 10th Place Narcotics search in a building

Deputy Kevin Louis and K9 Gompie

l 5th Place Overall Team Narcotics

l 10th Place Narcotics search in a vehicle exterior

Marion Police Department

Officer Jeff Schamberger and K9 Lingo

l 2nd Place Narcotics search in a residence

l 3rd Place Overall Narcotics

l 5th Place Overall Team Narcotics

Officer Mitch Walser and K9 Fador

l 1st Place Overall Team Patrol

l 1st Place Explosive detection in a warehouse

l 3rd Place Hogan's Alley

l 3rd Place Tracking

University of Iowa Department of Public Safety

Officer Brad Schramm and K9 Barry

l 1st Place Overall Team Patrol

l 3rd Place Explosive Detection

Lt. Mike Smith and K9 Axel

l Top 15 in tracking and multiple explosive detection events