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MEMBER NEWS LENEXA CANINE UNIT EARNS TOP HONORS IN NATIONAL COMPETITIONTwo Lenexa police dog teams earned top honors during the National Police Canine Association Seminar and Competition earlier this month. Officer Ryan Sumner and K9 Diesel won first place, and Officer Jim Harris and K9 Speedy took second place in the patrol competition. The competition tested the dogs’ general obedience, tactical movements, jumps, confrontations with an armed decoy, and general control of the dogs in an off-leash environment. Twenty-one canine teams participated in the week-long training and competition, which took place Oct. 4-10 in New Castle, Delaware. The Governing Body recognized Officers Sumner and Harris along with Diesel and Speedy at the Oct. 20 City Council meeting. “Canines are a great asset for the Police Department,” said Sgt. Eric Schmitz. “Through their sense of smell, they are able to locate suspects and illegal narcotics much quicker and more safely,” he said. When suspects flee on foot into neighborhoods, canines can be called in to search large areas in a timely manner. This also reduces the risk to officers, especially when searching for armed suspects, according to Schmitz. Two different Lenexa canine teams earned first and second place in the last national competition, which was held in 2007. The 2008 event was cancelled due to hurricane damage in the host city.
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