National Police Canine Association
P.O. Box 538
Waddell, Arizona 85355
Phone: 877-362-1219
info@npca.net
N.P.C.A. Member Awards Archives*
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The National Police Canine Association is proud of its members accomplishments. These members were selected from nominations from their peers, for acts above and beyond the call of duty.
2008 Patrol Case of the Year Award and Presidential Medal of Valor Recipient
On 02-18-08, Officer Melrose and his K9, Zip, were called out from home to assist Officers investigating an armed robbery at a carwash. A short chased occurred prior to the K9 team's arrival. Officer Melrose and Zip, tracked the suspect for approximately one block. Zip tracked into a backyard. In the backyard, Zip tracked past a shed. When Officer Melrose was in front of the shed, the suspect shot Officer Melrose. Officer Melrose was struck in the hip and chest. K9 Zip engaged the suspect and was shot in the left ear. Zip received minor injuries. The two backup Officers present with Officer Melrose and K9 Zip, shot and killed the suspect.
2008 Presidential Medal of Valor Recipient
On 02-17-08, Officers were dispatched to an armed disturbance with shots fired. Four Officers arrived and approached the residence in question, contacting individuals in the street. Officer Mike Powell with his K9, took up a surveillance position. Officer Powell observed a suspect appear from behind another residence. The suspect shot at the Officer in the street and struck him in the chest. A perimeter was set up and a search was conducted. Officer Powell and his K9 located and bit the suspect. The suspect was hiding in some bushes. The Officer who was shot was saved by his vest.
2008 Presidential Medal of Valor Recipient
On 02-23-08, Cpl. Craig Mickel responded to assist officers who were observing a motor vehicle theft. The suspect was observed entering the stolen vehicle and driving away. Cpl. Mickel contacted the vehicle and ordered the suspect to put his hands in the air. Instead, the suspect put one hand down between the front driver’s seat and middle console. Further, the suspect refused to exit the vehicle. Cpl. Mickel warned the suspect if he did not exit the vehicle, Cpl. Mickel’s police dog would bite him. The suspect failed to comply. K9 Butsch was deployed to apprehend the suspect through the open drivers door. Cpl. Mickel ordered the suspect to go to the ground. The suspect did not comply. The suspect began to strike K9 Butsch in the face and head. K9 Butsch took the suspect to the ground where the suspect was taken into custody
2008 Runner Up Patrol Case of the Year and Presidential Medal of Valor
On 01-21-08, at approximately 1300, Officers of the West Palm Beach Police Department, assisted Officers from the Boynton Beach Police Department. The Officers from the Boynton Beach Police Dept. were involved in pursuit of a vehicle taken in an armed carjacking. The suspect armed with a gun bailed out of the stolen car and ran at an Officer. The Officer shot the suspect. The suspect ran from the Officer. Officer Yoos and K9 Hano, of the West Palm Beach Police Department, tracked the suspect starting at the gun the suspect dropped. K9 Hano tracked through a residential area and apartment complex. K9 Hano located a black ski mask along the track. K9 Hano tracked through a parking garage and located a shoe. The track continued, crossing a street and proceeding down an alley where K9 Hano began to alert. Officer Yoos looked up and saw the suspect hiding in a palm tree. The suspect was ordered to come down out of the tree. The suspect then dropped out of the tree and ran from the K9 team. K9 Hano was sent to apprehend the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody.
2008 Detector Case of the Year
On 06-17-08, Officer Mike Martin and K9 Rico, assisted S.C.O.R.E. Officers serving a search warrant at a residence. SWAT team members entered and secured the residence. Officer Martin and K9 Rico assisted by securing to the perimeter at the front of the residence. After the residence was secured, Officer Martin and K9 Rico searched the residence. K9 Rico gave high alerts around the kitchen area of the residence. Subsequently, 66 grams of Methamphetamine and $38,200 was recovered from the kitchen ceiling.
2008 Runner Up Detector Case of the Year
On 09-29-08, Officer Laas and K9 Body, responded to assist Investigators with a search of an impounded vehicle. Officers searched the car by hand and did not find any narcotics. K9 Body searched the vehicle and alerted on the passenger side of the vehicle. ½ lb of Cocaine was found in the firewall.
2007 Detector Case of the Year
On 09/29/07, Officer Hanania, of the Phoenix Police Department, responded to assist 400 NET Officers with a drug search. The NET Officers had stopped a car and developed probable cause to arrest the driver. Based on a witnesses tip, the officers felt there were drugs in the car. The NET Officers searched the car but did not find any drugs. They then requested a K9 team.
Officer Hanania and K9 Cyrus responded and searched the car beginning with an exterior search. Cyrus alerted on three areas during the exterior search, the outside of the front passengers windshield, on the glove box, and just to the right of the steering column. Based on Cyrus’ alerts, two officers and Officer Hanania disassembled the dash. Upon closer inspection of the glove box, Officer Hanania noticed some screws missing from the frame of the glove box. Officer Hanania discovered a hidden compartment just under the passenger side of the windshield. Officer Hanania recovered 210 grams of Methamphetamine and a handgun.
2007 Runner Up Detector Case of the Year
On 05/19/07, Cpl. Mickel, of the Alexandria Police Department, responded to assist Detectives of the Narcotics Division with a search of a Greyhound bus at the Greyhound bus station. K9 Butsch was deployed to search the 3 baggage compartments of a Greyhound bus. Butsch did not show any indications on baggage in two of the compartments. Butsch did alert to one suitcase in the third compartment. Cpl. Mickel asked a Detective to take the suitcase that K9 Butsch alerted on and put it with four other pieces of luggage in a line. K9 Butsch then searched the five pieces of luggage and again alerted on the same suitcase. Butsch did not show any interest in any of the other pieces of luggage. Eventually the Detectives recovered three bricks of Marijuana from the suitcase. Total weight of the Marijuana was 26.6 pounds.
2007 Patrol Case of the Year
On 06/05/07, Officer Magruder, of the Kansas City Police Department, responded to assist Officers who had been involved in a pursuit involving a car stolen in a carjacking. Officer Malek called out on the radio that shots had been fired and he had been shot. Officer Malek suffered a gunshot to his ankle. The bullet had traveled up his leg to his knee. Officer Malek returned fire but did not hit the suspect. There were approximately 50 rounds fired in the exchange of gunfire.
Officer Magruder responded to the scene. Officer Magruder was advised the suspect ran on foot south and east from the scene. Officer Magruder deployed K9 Soty to track the suspect with Officer Helvie as backup. The team began trailing south along Sterling into a parking area where the team headed east. The team cleared the parking area and buildings, then continued east clearing a wooded area. The team returned to the parking area and continued north to highway 40. The team crossed highway 40 and worked along a chain link fence. K9 Soty came to a hole in the fence and went through the hole into a yard. K9 Soty continued tracking through a residential area crossing streets and yards. K9 Soty crossed over two fences and came to a garage. K9 Soty alerted on the garage door by jumping against the door and barking. The team entered the garage at which time K9 Soty went underneath a car parked in the garage. K9 Soty engaged the suspect hiding under the car. K9 Soty pulled the suspect out from under the car. The suspect began hitting K9 Soty and struggling with Officer Magruder. Eventually, Officers were able to get the suspect into custody. The suspect’s weapon, Tec 9 was recovered from under the car that the suspect was hiding under. The weapon was empty. Apparently, the suspect emptied the weapon firing at least 30 rounds at Officer Malek.
During interrogation with detectives the suspect admitted to or was implicated in several more violent offenses.
2007 Runner Up Patrol Case of the Year
On 11/12/07, Officer Deanie Earthman, of the Grand Junction Colorado Police Department, responded to a Burglary in Progress of a sporting goods store. Officer Earthman and K9 Oldo took up a perimeter position on the building. Challenges were issued into the building. Officers held their position on the perimeter until SWAT could arrive as the store contained numerous firearms and other weapons. Officer Earthman and K9 Oldo joined the SWAT team on the search of the building. K9 Oldo deployed on a 15 ft lead. The team searched the building. The team came to the gun counter and it was obvious that numerous weapons had been taken. The team cleared the bottom floor and moved to the second floor. The second floor was cleared from the north wall to the south wall ending at a storage room. K9 Oldo began indicating to the presence of human odor. Officer Earthman advised the SWAT team members with her, of Oldo’s indications. A bag containing several weapons was recovered in the area of K9 Oldo’s alert by a SWAT team member. The K9 team and SWAT continued to search a short distance when a suspect was located by SWAT. The SWAT team members challenged the suspect(s). The suspect did not comply with the challenges. As Officer Earthman approached with K9 Oldo, the two suspects surrendered without incident.
2006 Patrol Dog Case of the Year
Officer John LaFontaine and K9 Leon were awarded the 2006 Patrol Dog Case of the Year for the following deployment:
On August 18th, 2006, Officer LaFontaine and K9 Leon responded with the SWAT team to a Hostage situation on Freeway 60 and the on ramp for the 101 in Mesa Arizona. This situation began when a Mesa Az Officer made a traffic stop and the subject being stopped fled in his vehicle. The subject had his girlfriend in the car and their baby. During the pursuit the girlfriend was pushed out of the car. The pursuit ended on Freeway 60 and the on ramp to 101 in a stand off between the Officers and subject. During the standoff the subject would hold it towards the Officers. The subject threatened that he was armed with a gun and bomb inside a black bag. Officers negotiated with the subject for 35 minutes. The temperature was above 100 degrees. During the negotiations the SWAT team arrived as did Officer John LaFontaine and K9 Leon. An immediate action plan was developed to deploy a diversionary device and K9 Leon at the same time. When K9 Leon charged the subject threw the black bag that was supposed to have contained the gun and bomb at K9 Leon. The subject grabbed K9 Leon and fought with K9 Leon. As the SWAT team approached the team tased the subject twice and shot bean bags at him. K9 Leon stayed in the fight. The subject dove back into the car on top of the baby. The fight continued between the K9, the SWAT team members and the subject. K9 Leon stayed in the fight. Eventually the baby was rescued and the subject was taken into custody.
2006 Detector Dog Case of the Year
Officer Boskovich and K9 Cairo were awarded the 2006 Detector Dog Case of the Year for the following deployment:
On October 27th, 2006, Officer Boskovich and K9 Cairo were assigned to the Commerce City Colorado SWAT team and were preparing to serve a high risk search warrant on a residence. While waiting to the execution order Officer Boskovich and K9 Cairo were called upon by the case officer to assist with the search of two vehicles that drove away from the target house and were stopped by patrol officers. Upon arrival at the scene of the first vehicle stopped Officer Boskovich learned that the Officers had received consent to search the vehicle, a full size Chevrolet truck with an extended cab. The patrol officers advised they had searched the truck and did not find anything. K9 Cairo searched the outside of the vehicle and alerted on the passenger side door. K9 Cairo was let inside the truck to search and showed a significant behavior change. K9 Cairo eventually alerted inside the trucks cab by sitting. Eventually 15 kilos of cocaine were removed from this vehicle. Officer Boskovich and Cairo then went to the second vehicle stopped, a Honda Coupe. The patrol officers who had stopped this vehicle advised they had received consent to search the vehicle. The patrol officer advised he had conducted a consent search and recovered some cocaine in a tin box. Canine Cairo searched the vehicle and subsequently alerted on the rear passenger floorboards. The two vehicles searched by Cairo were impounded. A subsequent search revealed 15 Kilos of Cocaine from the Chevrolet truck and $499,000 in cash from the Honda.
2006 Alternate Patrol Dog Case of the Year
Officer Bob Shaver and K9 Darro are recognized for the 2006 Alternate Patrol Dog Case of the Year for the following deployment:
On November 24th, 2006, Officer Shaver and K9 Darro responded to a residence in regards to a shots fired call with Patrol Officers. Officers were advised one round was fired inside the house by the RP. When the Officers and K9 team arrived the subject with the gun was outside the residence on the front porch. Officer Shaver was able to observe that the subject was holding a cell phone in the left hand and the right hand was empty. The subject was beating on the door to the residence trying to get back inside the house. The occupants of the house had locked the doors. After other officers arrived and a perimeter was established it was decided to send K9 Darro to apprehend the subject. Officer Shaver issued challenges. The subject responded " **## you". "Go ahead send the dog". K9 Darro charged the subject, jumped up onto the porch and engaged the subject. The subject began punching K9 Darro. Officer Shaver approached the subject and K9 Darro. Officer Shaver grabbed the subject and pulled him off the porch on to the ground. The subject was still fighting with K9 Darro. Other officers then moved in to assist and control the subject.
2006 Alternate Detector Dog Case of the Year
Officer Michael Martin and Canine Nero are recognized for the 2006 Alternate Detector Dog Case of the Year for the following deployment:
On April 18th, 2006, Officer Martin and K9 Nero were requested to respond to a storage facility. A FBI task force Officer had information that narcotics were stored in a storage unit on the property. The Officer did not have adequate information to obtain a search warrant. Officer Martin directed K9 Nero to search the lockers on Row C as requested. K9 Nero searched Row C and alerted on one of the lockers. A search warrant using K9 Nero's alert was applied for and granted. The storage locker was searched. 109 pounds of Marijuana, 50.4 grams of methamphetamine, $41,170.00 in currency and documents were recovered.
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