National Police Week 2022: Deputy talks about welcoming new K-9

National Police Week has been held each year around mid-May since 1962, when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day. The period serves not only as a time to honor those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but to recognize all members of law enforcement who continue to serve and protect their communities.

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

The Clayton County K-9 program got its start 25 years ago when area police offers started seeing a rising trend in drug-related crimes. One method to combat such a rise is through utilizing narcotic detection dogs. After the initial program was researched and developed, a black Labrador retriever named Brady became the first official police K-9 in the county, under the leadership of then-chief Mark Kautman of the Marquette Police Department. It has since played a vital role in Clayton County with the enforcement of drug related crimes as well as the discovery of missing or lost persons.

Today, the K-9 unit is under the leadership of deputy Matt Moser, who has been part of the unit since 2009. Moser, who took the position out of a “love for dogs” and getting drugs off the street, oversees all the training and handling of the K-9—training that includes a state-mandated 16 hours a month at the bare minimum, which isn’t good enough for Moser. He typically attends two trainings a month and averages between 20-25 training hours during the same timeframe. These trainings aren’t the typical sit, bark and roll interactions with your family pet. These are intense, covering aspects like obedience, narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, tracking and evidence recovery. 

In obedience training, the dogs learn the basics, like sit and stay, but also learn bite suit training. This parallels with criminal apprehension, where the dog is taught how to bite a suspected criminal if necessary, while reading mannerisms, body language and responding to commands from their handler. Narcotics detection is done in buildings or with vehicles, littered with distractions, as the dog attempts to locate illegal drugs. Tracking teaches the dog to follow human odor and detect ground disturbances. Tracking goes hand-in-hand with evidence recovery, as the dog can locate objects or clothing hidden in fields or other hard-to-find locations.

Of course, over the years, as it has matured, there have been some subtle changes in K-9 training and handling. One of the biggest is making sure the dog and handler are allowed to train with other people and dogs, which wasn’t always the case in the early years. This has provided greater learning experiences and educational opportunities, not just for the dog, but for the handlers, who are able to talk and gather information from others in the business. There is also an emphasis on more passive trainings, as opposed to the older aggressive tactics, such as digging and scratching during narcotics detection and evidence recovery. The passive training relies on the dog to search, find the drugs or item and simply sit alongside it. Moser explained this shift toward passive tactics was a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to minimize the digging, especially during bomb searches. Training venues have also become easier to come by due to the passive alert response for narcotic detection instead the old way of aggressive, Moser added.

When it comes to the type of dog that best fits the K-9 unit, Moser mentioned the German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois, and the current county K-9 dog named Rexo, who is a crossbreed between the two. 

How Rexo got here was a several months long process that began with Moser watching between 50 and 100 videos of dogs imported from Poland. Due to lingering Covid issues and the current political instability of the region caused by the conflict in Ukraine, the sherriff’s department opted not to travel to select the dog in person, which has typically been the case in previous years. During the video sessions, Moser was sold on Rexo as the choice because of something known as “ball drive” during a training exercise, where the dogs search for a ball. Rexo displayed search patterns, an eagerness and an energetic nature, which stood out to Moser. 

Once selected, the department used money raised from fundraisers and donations to pay $12,500 for Rexo, which included the necessary imprinting process and handling school that occurs after the dog arrives in the United States. This purchase took place at the end of January, and from there, the dog headed to Tree Town Kennels in Forest City, for a month-long training session. There, they’re imprinted on narcotic odors, which in Rexo’s case includes meth, cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Then, it was on to handler school that Moser attended for a month. Then, on April 1, Rexo graduated. On April 3, he had his first official shift.

According to Moser, the 20-month-old Rexo is a “good, strong, social, working dog.” But he admitted they’re still working on some of the obedience. However, Moser added, obedience can be taught, but that eagerness Rexo has naturally is much more difficult to teach. Rexo also has an innate instinct that eliminates distractions, which will aide him well during his service, which typically lasts around eight to 10 years. 

Rexo’s arrival was due to the recent retirement of the previous K-9 dog, a German Shepherd named Raven, who served faithfully for nine years, eight of which were spent in Clayton County. Raven currently lives with Moser and has a much slower, calmer, domesticated canine lifestyle. 

It’s not just that Clayton County has a K-9 unit, it’s that Moser has created a quality and successful program, as demonstrated by recent awards won by both Rexo and Raven. Moser is dedicated and committed to the dogs and the community in eliminating drug-related crimes. During his time on the force, Raven took first place in the room searches scenario in 2021 at Fort Madison, was the sniff off champion in 2018 at a training event at Camp Dodge and took first place in a team event with three other dogs in 2018 at the United States Police Canine Association event in Anamosa. Even Rexo, in his brief time with the department, recently took second place at the sniff off championships at the Dogs for Law Enforcement seminar in Independence. 

Moser believes the existence of the K-9 unit acts as a deterrent, and he believes it has “done a good job” of effectively dealing with drug related crimes. On that front, Moser stated Rexo has already been involved in two busts, one for a meth charge and the other for marijuana dabs. During her tenure, Raven actually assisted with a federal case in 2016, during which she searched a target house that turned out to be a meth lab. 

Aside from narcotics detection and daily policing, Moser discussed other things that make the K-9 unit a positive for the community. He said it has helped “bridge the gap between the community and law enforcement,” because it humanizes the police. Dogs provide a sense of comfort, even ones such as Rexo, and the presence of Rexo gives that added human element to officers typically clad in bullet proof vests and an assortment of attachments, some of which are lethal. 

“Any time people can relate when they see me, whether it’s a younger kid, when I go to their school or I talk to them at other organizations, they feel they know me and feel comfortable with me, whether I’m on duty or off duty,” Moser added. 

If anyone is interested in supporting the K-9 unit, Moser mentioned the annual 5K run/walk that is held in Ganavillo on July 4, or he said donations can be sent to the sherriff’s office in care of the K-9 unit. 

He also made sure to thank the community. 

“I really thank all of the people who have donated or supported the K-9 unit over the years. It’s been very outstanding,” Moser said.