Picture of Benzie-Police Dog

There is a new addition to the Edinboro Police Department as of October 19, 2002.  His name is Officer Benzie and he is a rookie police officer.  The big difference is that he walks on all fours!  That's right--he's a dog.  Benzie is a Belgian Malinois, approximately two years old,  that graduated from the Lynwood Kennels in Freemont, Ohio.  Benzie was acquired to assist officers in the detection of drugs and drug paraphernalia as well as criminal apprehension, building searches, tracking, and search and was purchased through grants from Representative John Evans and the District Attorneys of Erie County. 

 

The need of every agency is different. The dog that is right for working in Paris, France is not necessarily the same dog needed for Paris, Tennessee. Since choosing the right dog for our K9 unit was just as important as selecting any new employee, Lynwood Kennels selected a dog to match the needs of our agency and those of our handler. Because they select and train dogs for each individual agency, our needs were met on a personal basis ensuring that we have the most productive K9 team available.   

 

Officer Senz was chosen as Benzie's handler/partner and as such had to undergo six weeks of training to learn how to control Benzie and have Benzie respond to his commands.  The training consisted of verbal commands as well as hand signals and body language.  Training was in six separate areas.  Read more about the individual tests Officers Senz and Benzie were tested on here.  Both had to endure long hours amid various conditions to learn how to communicate with each other. They bonded while at training camp and are now nearly inseparable. 

 

Benzie's training included searching for drugs

Training a dog for K9 duties involves many hours of dedication and patience.  Officer Senz must also keep up to date with changes in training techniques as well as changes in Benzie's personality.  They work well together as a team in many different scenarios.  Here is a picture of a dog doing drug detection in an automobile trunk.  He can detect drugs hidden in wheel wells, engines, inside upholstery, and attached to the auto body.  As little as a milligram can be detected hidden in luggage, vehicles, or on a person's body. We feel the need for this kind of special officer with a college located in our borough.

 

Benzie in action during training!

Just as human police officers back each other up, so do Benzie and his human partner, Officer Senz.  If there is gunfire or a foot chase, Officer Benzie can handle the situation.  From standing guard over a suspect during a pat-down to taking down a runaway perpetrator, these two make a great team. The Borough of Edinboro is happy to have this exciting and competent addition to its police force.
WELCOME TO THE FORCE,  OFFICER BENZIE!!

 

Go Back to Home
Go back to Police
Go Back to Departments
 

Home  | Departments | Police Dep't | Fire Dep't | Wastewater Treatment | Water Information | Refuse Collection | Contact

E-mail general questions or comments to edinboro@edinboro.net
E-mail questions or comments about the site to mlander@edinboro.net

©Copyright June 2003