The South Euclid Police Department K9 Unit was founded in 2002 to support the efforts of patrol officers and detectives in a variety of ways. The South Euclid Police K9 teams are trained in:
- Narcotics Detection
- Building and Area Search
- Evidence Recovery
- Tracking
- Suspect Apprehension
- Handler Protection
- Community Policing
- Tactical Operations
The South Euclid Police K9 Unit is made up of three K9 teams. Sergeant Mike Fink serves as the K9 Unit supervisor, and is partnered with K9 Kolbe, a Belgian Malinois, who joined the department in 2013. K9 Kolbe was purchased with a grant from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, following the retirement of SEPD’s original police work dog, K9 Rex, who retired in 2012.
Patrolman Miles Blansette is partnered with K9 Kaos, a German shepherd who joined the department in 2013, following the retirement of Patrolman Blansette’s first partner, K9 Recon. K9 Kaos was purchased with an anonymous donation from the community.
K9 Arie, a Belgian Malinois, joined the police department in 2018 and is partnered with Ptl. Pat Delehanty. K9 Arie was purchased with community support of the South Euclid Police K9 Foundation. The support included memorial donations in honor of the foundation’s first president, Pam O’Toole, as well as funds raised by VCA Great Lakes Veterinary Specialists and a grant from the National Police Dog Foundation.
In 2022, the K9 unit responded to a wide variety of calls for service. These include tracking for fleeing suspects, searching building that have been broken into, sniffing for hidden narcotics and searching for discarded evidence. Our K9 teams also provide a strong preventive presence when officers are working to take suspects into custody. Oftentimes, the presence alone of a police K9 team is enough to encourage a criminal suspect to comply with officer’s orders. This force multiplier often prevents officers from having to resort to physical force.
The ultimate success of a police K9 team, and the resulting safety of the community, is directly related to the amount of quality in-service training the team receives. It is for this reason that the South Euclid Police Department K9 Unit pursues advanced training with a sense of urgency. Both Sergeant Fink and Patrolman Blansette serve as K9 evaluators for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. The department is also certified to conduct in-house K9 training through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
Sergeant Fink holds national accreditation through the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA) as a master trainer of patrol and narcotics detection K9 teams. Our K9 unit is also the anchor agency for a regional K9 training group that meets bi-monthly to conduct in-service K9 training. The group is made up of dog teams from numerous area law enforcement agencies. Additionally, Sergeant Fink has had several articles published in the newsletter for the North American Police Work Dog Association. He also instructs as a member of the NAPWDA Tactics Committee at various workshops and training events held throughout the country. This allows him to bring back cutting-edge training techniques to our K9 unit and the those in the Cleveland area.
The K9 teams also take part in many community policing activities throughout the year. Our K9 handlers and their dogs are well known around the community and can regularly be seen visiting our elementary schools.
In addition to being a patrol/narcotics team, K9 Kolbe, K9 Arie and K9 Kaos are deployed alongside the EDGE SWAT Team during tactical operations as part of the EDGE SWAT Tactical K9 Program. Deployments include searching confined spaces, high-risk building searches, perimeter containment or high-risk open area searches. The K9 team also provides a unique less lethal option to the SWAT Team for subduing violent criminals. Prior to deploying with the SWAT Team, the SEPD K9s and their handlers attended an intensive training course to prepare them for the tactical environment. They also routinely attend SWAT training to maintain their skills.
The South Euclid Police Department continues to receive tremendous support from the community through the South Euclid Police K9 Foundation. This non-profit organization is made up of local residents and other K9 supporters. The foundation raises funds to provide the South Euclid Police K9 Unit with the finest training and equipment available.
Finally, 2022 will marked the 20th anniversary of the South Euclid Police K9 Unit. The K9 unit has grown from a new and experimental one-team unit into a three-team unit that is a well-respected and vital part of both the South Euclid Police Department and EDGE SWAT Team. SEPD K9 teams are also well known throughout the community. The spirit of community policing is a role the K9 Unit embraces and will continue to use to foster a positive and mutually supportive relationship with our community.
GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
