By Pat Culverhouse
Minden’s K9 corps has been reduced by a third with Tuesday’s retirement of Officer Tigo, but work goes on for the remaining members of the team.
According to their two-legged partners, there’s plenty to go around for Brams and Reef and the multi-purpose officers more than earn their pay.
“With everything they do, they do the work of four dogs,” said Brams’ partner/handler Lt. Shawn Griffith. “They are everywhere from traffic stops to building searches to crime scenes. And they’re always ready to go.”
Meet Minden’s K9s
Brams and partner, Lt. Shawn Griffith
Brams is a seven-year-old Dutch Shepherd dual-purpose officer trained in narcotics and tracking. Brams is Griffith’s second K9 since he’s been on the force.
“He had some pretty big shoes to fill considering my first dog, but he’s filled them very well…maybe better,” he said.
Brams’ chief asset might be another trait which Griffith says should make a criminal think twice.
“He loves to bite. He bites more than our other dogs. It’s a part of his job. But he always bites the right person,” Griffith said.
Griffith said he uses Brams pretty much every night of his shift, from searching vehicles and buildings to being a much-appreciated backup.
“He’s at every traffic stop during our shift, watching over the officers,” Griffith said. “He’s a very good dog.”
Reef and partner, Officer Kendale Booker
Reef is the department’s newest member and the two-year-old Malinois/Pit Bull mix exhibits the traits of both. She’s sleek, full of energy and has a powerful set of jaws (referred to by one officer as doggie handcuffs).
“She’s trained in narcotics, tracking and apprehension,” Booker said of his partner. “She swift and agile…she’s a solid dog. She’s very active and always ready to go.”
Booker said Minden’s K9 officers and handlers train weekly with the Shreveport Police Department, a unit known for having an outstanding team of dogs. Training sessions total roughly 15 to 16 hours per week.
Reef caught the eye of SPD trainers on her first trip.
“Shreveport PD wanted to buy her the first time they saw her,” he said. “That was an easy offer to turn down.”
K9s cost anywhere from $26,000 to $38,000, “…depending on the accessories…the purposes and breed,” Booker said. Reef was purchased with the assistance of a $10,000 donation from the Minden Police Association.
Both Minden K9s are equipped with impressive armored vests which are both bullet proof and stab proof. Those vests, which run about $5,000 each, came from an anonymous donor who has also given money to Shreveport PD and Caddo Parish.
By comparison, a bullet proof vest for a two-legged police officer runs around $1,200.
“We understand there’s been around $90,000 given by that donor to the agencies,” Griffith said. “This year, he gave two for Minden’s dogs.”
Griffith said Minden’s K9 officers also help serve agencies outside the city limits.
“We provide K9 services for Webster, Claiborne and Bienville parishes and also for the state police Troop G,” he said.
Adding K9 officers to the Minden PD was an expensive proposition, and one neither the department nor the city had to bear alone.
“I’d say 75 percent of our K9 assets come from public generated funds,” Griffith said. “Our police association fund raiser is a big example. Through the generosity of the community, we have reinvested in the community with these K9s.”