Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network

Massachusetts Police News, Information and Discussions on MassCops

Posted by: kwflatbed

Axel, a German shepherd, is new member of force



Officer James Foss with Axel. The Hingham Police Department
is reviving its canine unit, which has been dormant since 2004.
(LISA BUL/The Patriot Ledger)

By KAREN GOULART
The Patriot Ledger

HINGHAM - With big ears pointed skyward and paws impossibly large for his small, wiry frame, Axel, romps and wriggles and runs with nervous puppy energy.

But the 16-month-old German shepherd is quick to settle down at the direction of his master.

Both the energy and the obedience will serve him well in his career.

Axel is now in training to become one of the newest members of the Hingham Police Department.

Axel will be partnered with 14-year veteran officer James Foss, who is no stranger to the breed.

‘‘I’ve had shepherds all my life, I love these animals,’’ Foss said. ‘‘To be able to combine that with law enforcement has always been a dream of mine.’’

Hingham had a successful canine unit for several years. Sgt. Glenn Shaw and canine partners Karre and Kanto found lost children, tracked down dangerous suspects, uncovered drugs and racked up commendations.

But when Shaw retired in 2004, continuation of the unit was put on hold.

Chief Taylor Mills said when Shaw retired, the department wasn’t ready to focus on filling the position.

At the time, with the small size of the department, having a canine officer who was also a staff supervisor seemed counter-productive, Mills said. Believing it was an important part of community policing, they wanted to reinstate the position within the patrol division, which required some discussion between bargaining units.

With those details hashed out, the late police Chief Steven Carlson was working on bringing the unit back.

As the department geared up for its 100th anniversary celebration last month, it raised money for the dog by selling commemorative anniversary coins.

Foss didn’t waste any time making it known he wanted to fill that job.

‘‘He’d been expressing his desire for this opportunity for some time,’’ Mills said. ‘‘He was very diligent about ... educating himself, learning about canine handling programs.’’

When the position was finally posted a few months ago, Foss was the only applicant. His fellow officers and superiors knew how strongly he felt about the job.

‘‘He came to Chief Carlson with a very detailed written proposal with what he’d be able to accomplish and it impressed the chief and me,’’ Mills said. ‘‘It was a very easy decision to allow him this opportunity.’’

Axel came to the United States from the Czech Republic and Foss picked him up from a kennel in Connecticut. For a few weeks he was simply a family dog. Axel and Foss needed to bond.

‘‘He never really had quality human interaction,’’ Foss said. ‘‘But the bonding was actually pretty easy.’’

Mills said it is already clear this will be a great partnership.

‘‘(Foss) loves what he’s doing now,’’ Mills said. ‘‘It’s like he has a glow about him when he’s with his dog.’’

The partners are now in the midst of four months of patrol training. After that Axel will be ready to go on the road with Foss for about 9 months. Following that experience, Axel will undergo two months of narcotics training.

Once trained, Axel will have the ability to track missing people, take down potential criminals when necessary and nose out narcotics. Having his special skills at hand will save time and enhance operations. During the department’s time without a dog, it counted on outside assistance.

‘‘We’ve been relying on towns like Weymouth and Hull; this gives us an opportunity to be more self-reliant,’’ Foss said.

Axel will also play an important role in community relations, giving demonstrations in the schools and at events like the department’s Family Fun Day.

‘‘Part of our job is to reach out to the community in positive ways,’’ Mills said. ‘‘A well trained handler opens a lot of doors to communication to the public in a positive way.’’

The community began responding even before Axel arrived. The coin sales were a success and a few weeks ago a group of citizens at the Linden Ponds retirement community donated $4,000.

Mills said Carlson would be ‘‘so proud’’ of the town and of Foss.

‘‘It’s been successful, I’m certain, beyond his dreams,’’ Mills said.

Video in story: http://ledger.southofboston.com/arti...ews/news12.txt

---

vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.
vB Easy Archive Final ©2000 - 2008 - Created by Stefan "Xenon" Kaeser