An Arresting Performance By Metro’s Canines Garners Team Gold, Silver And Bronze Medals At Police Olympic Games

It was a test of athleticism, dexterity and good-old-fashioned teamwork – and METRO’s K-9 unit proved once again how talented and dedicated this elite force is to the job.

The eight-member team participated in the annual Texas Police Games, formerly known as the Texas Police Olympics, last month in Conroe, TX. The games are not limited to canine competitions, but are open to all qualifying sworn officers from across the state. The purpose of the games is to foster pride in the profession and comradeship among fellow officers through athletic competition.

METRO’s K-9 team competed in five categories: Patrol/Obedience, Manwork/Tactical, Narcotics Building, Vehicle and the Overall.

MPD officer John Wiggins and dog Vigo won three medals - the top honor for the Overall competition, as well as another gold medal for Manwork/Tactical. In the latter event, the officer and dog were tested to see how well they work together, moving from barricade to barricade to apprehend a suspect. The winning duo also placed second in the Patrol/Obedience competition.

Officer Nancy DeMartin and her explosives-detection partner, Roxy, won the bronze in Manwork/Tactical.

“I think everybody performed excellently,” said John Ivey, MPD’s canine trainer and narcotics detection dog handler. “I’m very proud of what everybody did. And, it shows the dedication of the handlers to their teammate.”

Ivey and his four-legged partner Rudy won the silver medal in the Narcotics Building competition. The officer-dog team had three minutes to scope out six vehicles and sniff out two narcotic stashes. The first team to find the illegal drugs won.  
 
“We continuously place in competitions, and we also perform on the street by finding narcotics, explosives and trying to track people,” added Ivey.
 
Earlier this year, the team competed in the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association’s (NNDDA) regional competition and brought home four awards – three of which were for first place.

The canine team was created in 1998 with one police dog and now has eight canines on the force - three dogs specializing in narcotics detection and five in explosives. 

The team’s roster is about to get a boost with the addition of two more bomb-detection dogs. This was made possible by the $3 million in stimulus funds MPD was awarded as part of the Transit Security Grant Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The agency is one of 15 transit agencies across the country expected to receive the federal funds. In addition to purchasing the two canines, MPD will hire 10 police officers – two of whom will handle the new explosives-detection canines.

“This position requires a lot of dedication because our job comes home with us,” said Ivey. “Knowing this, each handler over the years, has applied themselves to being the best handler possible. It shows by all the various awards won by each METRO K-9 team, the work on the streets, and the dogs we train for other departments.”

The highly-skilled canines train every week to stay sharp and in shape. The canines are deployed throughout METRO's service area. All canines are trained in patrol so they can help officers track down and apprehend fleeing suspects, search for evidence, or locate any person or object.
 
“We are the youngest K-9 division in Harris County, so when another agency calls us wanting to train with us, it makes you feel honored,” said Ivey.
 
METRO’s K-9 team is comprised of Officers: John Ivey, John Wiggins, Nancy DeMartin, Chris Obenland, Ted Armstrong, Charles Wheeler, Frank E. Dyson and George Parris. Each officer works, trains and lives with their four-legged police partner.