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Watch Amazing Bodycam Footage of Police Dog Tracking Down Suspect

A police dog named Blue has nothing to be blue about after tracking down a man for two miles across a river and farmland in England before finally nabbing him. The nearly hour-long chase in September 2016 was captured on the bodycam worn by the German Shepherd’s handler. The team works with the Bedfordshire, Cambridge and Hertfordshire (BCH) Dog Unit.

“Blue’s nose led his handler down a footpath, into thick bushes and across a knee-deep stream,” reports the Hertfordshire Constabulary, which released the footage of the chase this week. “He continued to track over fences, fields and another stream before finding a jacket believed to belong to the driver.”

Blue followed the scent down country lanes and across farmlands before finding Samuel hiding in thick undergrowth.

The chase started after the suspect, Elroy Samuel, failed to stop when officers tried to pull him over. He crashed into another car and then fled into the woods. After his capture, Samuel was charged with six crimes, including aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and failing to stop for police. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

“Our dogs and handlers are highly trained and determined, as demonstrated by Blue and his handler’s prolonged tracking,” said Sergeant Cray Birch from the BCH Dog Unit. “I am very grateful for their work, as they proved to be an invaluable asset at this incident.”

Earlier this month, Blue received a PDSA Animal Award — one of the most prestigious awards of its kind in the world — for yet another heroic act last year. In December, Blue led his handler to a man who had suffered an asthma attack and collapsed in the woods.

If not for Blue and his handler, “the incident may have had a very different outcome,” Chief Supt. Dales said at the award ceremony. Nice work, Blue!

Photo credit: Hertfordshire Constabulary

Fast-Acting Police Officer Saves His K-9 Partner’s Life

Anthony Coniglio, an officer with the Concord Police Department in Northern California, was directing traffic around a DUI-related collision about 2 a.m. yesterday morning when a pickup truck came speeding toward him and his patrol car that was parked behind him.

Coniglio’s K-9 partner, Hancock, was inside that patrol car.

When Coniglio realized the driver wasn’t going to stop, in an instant he made the decision to risk his own life and save his partner. Within seconds, was able to get inside his patrol car and move it about two feet.

The truck crashed into the driver’s side of the patrol car, but thanks to Coniglio’s quick thinking, both he and Hancock survived with only moderate injuries.

“It’s with certainty that we know if Officer Coniglio was not able to move his patrol vehicle, he and K-9 Hancock would have sustained serious injury or death,” the Concord Police Department wrote on its Facebook page yesterday.

The driver of the truck, Angel Carrera-Lopez — who was on probation for a previous DUI — was arrested for suspicion of DUI, treated and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.

After being treated at hospitals for their injuries, “K-9 Officer Coniglio and Hancock are both resting at home and doing well,” the police department wrote.

“Thank you to all the concerned citizens who called and sent cards this morning. We have a wonderful community!”

Concord is lucky to have a wonderful police officer like Coniglio as well.

Photo via Concord Police Department Facebook page

Indiana K-9 Officer Kenobi Really Loves His Partner

You’ve probably seen the official portrait of astronaut Leland Melvin with his two dogs, arguably the greatest portrait in NASA history.

And now, although they didn’t make the “official” cut, photos of K-9 officer Kenobi snuggling with and smooching his partner, Indiana Conservation Officer (ICO) Levi Knach, during their photo shoot are definitely contenders for the greatest police dog portraits ever. The two work in the state’s Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement District 2.

After Indiana State Parks posted the outtakes on its Facebook page Thursday, they’ve deservedly gone viral.

“Kenobi is cute, but make no mistake — he is a trained, working officer and can track people and locate a variety of objects ranging from venison to ginseng,” Indiana State Parks wrote. “We are grateful for the work that our ICOs do all over the state to protect and serve people, and to conserve our fish and wildlife resources.”

Thank you for your service, officers Knach and Kenobi!

Photos via Reddit

Ohio K9 Officer Jethro Dies After Grocery Store Shootout

As police in Canton, Ohio, entered a grocery store early Saturday in response to a burglary alarm activation call, a suspect opened fire.

The only officer shot was Jethro, a 3-year-old German Shepherd who was hit by four rounds. The suspect was shot in the leg and taken into custody.

Jethro was rushed to the Stark County Veterinary Emergency Clinic.

“Jethro is still resting,” the Canton Police Department wrote on its Facebook page this morning. “Three rounds struck him but none struck vital organs and did not require surgery. He did take a round to the bridge of the nose but it did not penetrate. However, it did cause some brain trauma.”

Jethro’s partner, Officer Ryan Davis, never left the K9’s side.

According to a Canton Police K9 Association Facebook post last night, Jethro was a “bullheaded badass tough guy. He is fighting the good fight.”

Tragically, it was a fight the hero dog could not win.

“It is with heavy hearts that we must tell you all that we lost Jethro,” the police department wrote on its Facebook page today. “He took a sudden turn for the worse and has passed.”

A touching video posted this afternoon on Canton Police K9 Association Facebook page shows officers saluting as Jethro’s body is removed from the clinic.

“We at the Canton Police Department want to thank all of you for your support over the last couple of days,” the department wrote on Facebook. “Your prayers and well wishes have meant so much.”

Beth Philley of the blog doggies.com launched the Canton K-9 Jethro Vet & Vest Fund GoFundMe campaign to raise money for bulletproof K9 vests. As of late Sunday afternoon, more than $19,000 has been donated.

“In visiting with several officers at the emergency clinic today, I was told that the bulletproof vests in Canton are very old, very heavy and very rarely used,” Philley wrote.

As for Jethro’s unidentified shooter, “Although there are federal statutes that specify harsh sentences for killing a federally employed K9, the rules here in Ohio are pretty weak,” Philley wrote on her blog. Killing a police dog is considered a third-degree felony, and can result in a prison sentence of up to five years and a maximum $5,000 fine.

“Not nearly enough,” Philley wrote, and I’m sure a lot of us agree.

Donations in Jethro’s memory may be sent to:

Canton Police Department
Attn: K9 Unit
221 3rd St SW
Canton OH 44702

Liberty Tactical Equipment, a clothing store in Wooster, Ohio, announced it is printing $20 T-shirts in honor of Jethro. All of the proceeds will go to the Canton Police K9 Association.

Rest in peace, K9 Officer Jethro.

Photos via Facebook; Facebook

Heat Alarm in K-9 Patrol Car Repeatedly Fails Test

Seven police dogs died of heat exhaution in hot cars this summer. Four of them died when the air conditioners and heat alarms in K-9 patrol cars apparently failed to work.

One of those victims was Wix, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois who was a K-9 officer with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.

Wix died while on duty Aug. 12 at the PGA Championship golf tournament in Kohler, Wisc. His handler, Deputy Austin Lemberger, had left him in the patrol car with the engine and air conditioner running. When Lemberger checked on Wix around 12:30 p.m., the engine and air conditioner were off, and Wix was dead.

Bob Dye, general manager at Ace K9, which manufactures the Hot-N-Pop Pro alarm used in Lemberger’s patrol car, told HLN last month that a challenge in keeping police dogs safe is a device that officers will remember to use.

“These guys, they might have to run from one side of the city to another, from one type of situation to another. They’re under a lot of stress,” Dye said. “It’s human error, and they are devastated when that happens to these dogs.”

But according to the Green Bay Press Gazette, based on an investigation by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, it wasn’t human error that caused Wix’s death. Lemberger had, in fact, remembered to use the Hot-n-Pop Pro. The device, however, failed to work.

When the car’s interior reaches a temperature set by the officer, the Hot-N-Pop device should “activate a S.O.S. horn honk signal, siren and light-bar activation and dual window drop,” according to the Ace K9 website.

In tests by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, the Hot-N-Pop repeatedly failed to work, shutting itself off when the temperature rose inside Lemberger’s patrol car.

Dye has not yet commented on the test results.

To prevent more tragedies in K-9 patrol cars, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office’s investigative report suggested safety improvements such as mounting a fan in the window; leaving the rear windows open if the handler will be away for a long period of time; testing the alarm on a daily basis; and inspecting the air conditioner on a monthly basis from May to August.

Most importantly, at least based on the test results, the report suggested upgrading the heat alarm system.

Photos via Facebook; Brown County Sheriff’s Office