Erie County's ready to take bite out of crime

ouriel@sanduskyregister.comPERKINS TWP.The Erie County Sheriff's Office newest deputy enjoys completing both dull and dangerous tasks way more than his far less furrier colleagues.Want some examples of his undying loyalty and doggone love for law enforcement?Before anyone else, he zips in front of buildings, ready to search multi-story structures for potential bombs, drugs and other illegal materials.He treats fleeing suspects as hide-and-seek players. With double the amount of legs, compared to human officers, he's pretty good at chasing down speeders.And locating drugs? Without a doubt his spot-on scent-seeking schnoz helps him sniff out even the faintest traces of narcotics hidden underneath and wedged within objects.Yes, Erie County's new K-9 is ready to serve the community. Welcome homeThe sheriff's office new nameless police dog recently arrived stateside.Hailing from the Czech Republic, the 3-year-old German shepherd must first receive a certain amount of training before he buddys up on patrols with his handler, Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech."I need to bond with him so he knows who to listen to," said Orzech, who added the dog should be ready for patrols by springtime. "I also need to learn commands in Czech. It's a little hard to get used to, and I'm probably not saying things exactly right."Despite the learning curve, Orzech said he's already made an instant connection with the police pooch in training."I love the dog," he said. "He has a great, outgoing personality. He's in overdrive all the time. My last dog was a little bit calmer, but this one is ready to rock 'n' roll all the time."Orzech's last dog, K-9 Butch, went into early retirement this past summer after a two-year stint with the sheriff's office. A degenerative disease sidelined Butch, expected to serve for 10 years. Butch now resides with Orzech's father, Sandusky police Chief John Orzech.A donation totaling $9,200 from Flex-N-Gate, the parent company of Ventra Sandusky on Ohio 101, allowed county officials to purchase a new department K-9.Tractor Supply Co. and Northern Ohio Animal Health Care, both located on Perkins Avenue, also donated services, sparing taxpayers from paying even 1 cent toward a police dog.Orzech expects to name the dog in the coming weeks. He's letting students in the Edison and Margaretta school districts select a name. Whichever student submits the winning name wins a party — complete with pizza, ice cream and a visit from the dog — for his or her entire class. The need for a K-9K-9s can serve many beneficial purposes for a law enforcement department and the community.But, beyond tracking down suspects and performing drug searches, police dogs play important roles to build goodwill between cops and everyday residents.Studies show people, and especially children, are more likely to approach a uniformed officer — whether to report a crime or just to socialize — with a dog versus an official without one."A dog is also an excellent public relations tool in the schools and other positive activities associated with kids to establish positive relationships," Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth said.Orzech credits Sigsworth for maintaining the police dog initiative."I thank the sheriff for continuing the program," Orzech said. "He could have easily quit on it, but a week after Butch retired, we made progress in getting a new dog. When he asked me if I wanted another one, it was a no-brainer." Want to donate?• What: People can contribute funds to a K-9 fund, which will help the Erie County Sheriff's Office purchase a new police dog. No public money from the department's budget will go toward the purchase.• How: People can mail donations to the following:Erie County Sheriff's Office K-9 Donation Fund2800 Columbus Ave.Sandusky, OH 44870Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech handles the department's new K-9 with area trainer Bob McDowell on Jan. 28, 2016.Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech handles the department's new K-9 on Jan. 28, 2016.The Erie County Sheriff's Office newest unnamed police dog looks on before beginning a training exercise on Jan. 28, 2016.Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech trains with the department's new police dog on Jan. 28, 2016.The Erie County Sheriff's Office newest police dog gets ready to sprint to retrieve a stick during a training exercise on Jan. 28, 2016.Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech and the department's new police dog take a quick breather from training exercises to pose for a picture on Jan. 28, 2016.Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech handles the department's new K-9 on Jan. 28, 2016.Erie County Sheriff Office new K-9 unit tracks an object while training with handler Deputy Dan Orzech on Wednesday afternoon at the Erie County Fairgrounds. In addition to tracking, the K-9 is capable of drug and bomb detection as well as criminal apprehension. Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech gets the department's new K-9 out of the back of his cruiser while preparing for another training session Wednesday afternoon at the Erie County Fairgrounds. The Erie County Sheriff's Office new K-9 unit takes a break from training Wednesday at the Erie County Fairgrounds to play with his prized tennis ball. The Erie County Sheriff's Office new K-9 unit gets some well deserved praise from his handler, Deputy Dan Orzech, after doing well during an off-lease training session on Wednesday afternoon. The Erie County Sheriff's Office new K-9 unit searches for drugs under the watchful eye of handler Deputy Dan Orzech during a training session Wednesday at the Erie County Fairgrounds. The dog is trained to detect a wide variety of drugs as well as potential bomb components and other illegal material. Bags of actual drugs are used in training the Erie County Sheriff's Office new K-9 unit. Using actual drugs in training environments improves the dogs performance in real world situations.