New K-9 joins ISP in the Peru district

The Indiana State Police held a ceremony at the Indianapolis District for the seven new ISP patrol K-9 handlers and their newly appointed K-9 partners who successfully completed the 16th Indiana State Police K-9 Training School.

Trooper Dustin Powers, of the Peru district, and his partner, “Rich,” were among those graduates.

Rich is named in honor of Master Trooper David Rich, who was killed in the line of duty in July 2007.

The Indiana State Police K-9 School is an annual 12-week school held in Indianapolis, with more than 480 hours of instruction to include obedience, tracking, locating articles of evidence, apprehension of fighting or fleeing suspects, building searches, narcotics detection and handler protection. K-9 handlers also receive training in K-9 legal concepts and classes on odor detection theory and tracking situations. Teams train at night and in varying conditions with scenario-based training and problem-solving situations for eight to 10 hours per day.

Indiana State Police K-9 breeds include German shepherds, Belgian malinois and Dutch shepherds. The K-9s are certified through Dogs for Law Enforcement Organization.

Rich is a Belgian malinois/shephard mix and is just over a year old. His handler, Trooper Powers, is a four-year member of the Indiana State Police. Powers and Rich will primarily patrol the Wabash/Miami county area; however, as a patrol K9 team, they regularly respond to calls as needed across the entire Peru district.

During the graduation ceremony, Superintendent Anthony Scott and Indiana State Police K-9 master trainer Sgt. Kevin Waters both presented course certificates and spoke to the troopers, families and friends in attendance. Together they addressed the level of commitment and sacrifice required of the troopers and their families during the duration of the 12-week course. They spoke of an extremely demanding specialty patrol assignment, one that requires a level of professional commitment more so than a typical daily schedule will accommodate. Long shifts, routine after-hours call-outs that will always undoubtedly come in after an already long workday, on scheduled days off, holidays and during special family events, not to mention the continued maintenance, care and training for both canine and handler that is demanded from this assignment. This level of commitment will be the new norm required of the troopers and their families.