2004 Annual Report - City of Fairbanks

K-9 UNIT
The Fairbanks Police Department’s K-9 unit continues to
operate smoothly. Officer Lowe and K-9 Keva, along with
Officer Foster and K-9 Baron, are the Department’s two K-9
teams. The Alaska State Troopers, North Pole Police, and
UAF Police all have K-9 teams; F.P.D. works with these other
agencies to insure that there is always a K-9 available for
duty. All of our local agencies work
with a positive spirit of cooperation, “loaning out” their onduty
teams for immediate use. Officers Foster and Lowe are
both frequently called to assist other agencies. In 2004 Dr.
James Beckley of the Fairbanks Veterinary Hospital
continued to offer his services at no cost to our Department.
We owe him special thanks for his contribution to the
Department and our community!
Keva’s primary mission is drug detection As both law
enforcement and criminal behavior continue to
progress, methods of concealment for illegal drugs
continue to become more innovative and harder to
detect. Our K-9 team has the ability to sniff-out and
discover drugs in those places that might normally be
missed during a routine patrol contact or search.
Baron’s primary mission is that of a “tracking dog,”
used in the search and apprehension of criminal suspects. These abilities can also
be used to locate non-criminals, such as citizens who have become lost or may be in
need of assistance. Officer Foster’s assignment to our Tactical Police Team assures
that Baron is always available for the team’s operations.
A continuing theme for 2004 has been the K-9 team’s
popularity with the public, especially children. As
our Department cannot currently fund a position
which places Officers in direct contact with our
youth, such as a DARE program, the K-9 program
provides a positive link to the Children in our
community. Events such as the Kid’s Fest and Mush
for Kids expose our K-9 teams to the youth of our
community, always producing a positive result!
2004 saw the creation of the Interior Police K-9 fund. While the program is not run by
the Fairbanks Police Department, our K-9 officers spent much of their own time
getting the program started and keeping it running. The program was created and
conceived by Laura LeMieux. Ms. LeMieux graciously contributed her time and
expertise in an effort to raise money so that all police K-9s could receive additional
equipment, such as special bullet-proof vests.
Page 35