Zach Larsen and K-9 Max of the Clay County (MN) Sheriff’s Office received their second Top Dog award at a K-9 certification course held in mid-May at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. Max also placed first in the Street category. Larsen and Max won the Top Dog title in 2008, as well.

Ken Greenleaf and K-9 Valor were awarded the championship at the Ventura County Police K-9 Trials held in July 2009. The duo has won the competition for four years in a row.

Jim O’Brien and K-9 Blek, Wolfeboro (NH) Police Department, won seven trophies at the U.S. Police Canine Association‘s trials in Falmouth, Maine, in July 2009, including: first place overall in the Novice category and firsts in that category in apprehension, obedience, suspect search, and teamwork. Tom Nichols and K-9 Kaybar, Amesbury (MA) Police Department, took first place overall in the Advanced category and won firsts in agility, suspect search, evidence recovery, criminal apprehension, and obedience.

The Herald (New Britain, CT) reports that K-9 Drak of the Farmington (CT) Police Department led police to $10,000 in loot from a Bristol bank robbery. Drak was on a reverse track from where one of the robbers had been taken into custody when he located a towel hanging on a tree as though it were being used as a marker. Officers subsequently discovered the money buried beneath a fallen oak tree.

The Mid-Hudson News Network (Middletown, NY) reports that K-9 Ike of the Beacon City (NY) Police Department apprehended a burglary suspect after the man violently resisted arrest and pulled out the Taser probes that had been shot into him. After several warning announcements, Ike was deployed. The suspect tried to punch Ike, but the dog held on and the arrest was made.

The Brownsville (TX) Herald reports that a Brownsville teenager was arrested at B&M International Bridge after K-9 Jackhammer of the Border Patrol confirmed the presence of drugs in the dashboard of her car. Twenty packages of CBP with a street value of nearly $1 million were recovered.

In the July/August 2009 issue of Police K-9 Magazine, an article cited the case of State v. Roscoe, 700 P.2d 1312 (Ariz. 1984); appeal after retrial, 910 P.2d 635 (Ariz. 1996). A reader noted that the handler in that case subsequently was discredited in a later court hearing in the Roscoe case. There’s even more to that story. Ex-Pennsylvania State Trooper John Preston worked as a hired expert witness in court and as an FBI canine consultant for many years. Preston was, in fact, discredited in Arizona courts and Florida courts, as well as on national television by Geraldo Rivera, as early as 1984. Yet prosecutors continued to use Preston as an expert witness long after exposure on the Geraldo Rivera show. Most recently, Anderson Cooper reported on Preston’s potential contribution to the wrongful murder conviction of Bill Dillon in Florida. Dillon served 27 years behind bars before being exonerated on the basis of DNA evidence. Preston’s false testimony significantly contributed to Dillon’s conviction. Dozens of cases are currently being examined to determine the depth of damage wrought by this former police dog handler. Preston died in 2008.

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Two K-9s recently were killed while on the job. K-9 Zeus of the New Palz (NY) Police Department was mortally injured when two police cars collided while on the way to investigate a burglar alarm. Zeus was a partner to Officer Robert Knoth, who was injured in the crash along with Officer Joseph Judge, who was in the other car. Both officers had to be extricated from their vehicles using the Jaws of Life; both are recovering.

K-9 Niko of the Lathrop (CA) Police Department was killed by friendly fire during an incident in which a mutiagency task force was serving a warrant. Niko, a 6-year-old Dutch Shepherd, was a 5-year veteran who had apprehended more than 50 suspects and assisted in more than 400 arrests. He was partnered with Officer Judy Lieberman.