RPD’s new K9 back to work

Russellville Police Lt. Jeff Michael and the city's new drug dog, Bama.

When Lt. Jeff Michael lost his longtime partner and fellow canine companion, Player, in March, he had no idea that a mere five months later, he would be hitting the streets with a new partner that’s ready to pick up where Player left off.
Last week, Michael and Russellville Police Department’s newest drug-fighting canine, Bama, officially reported for duty after attending training at the Alabama K9 Law Enforcement Training Center in Tuscaloosa.
Michael spent four weeks training with Bama so the duo could learn how to work together as partners.
They completed their training on August 10 and Michael said they passed with flying colors.
“Bama had already gone through training before I arrived in Tuscaloosa to determine if he had the ability to be a drug dog,” Michael said. “It takes a special kind of dog to be equipped to do this sort of thing – it’s not just something you can train any type of dog to do.”
Michael said they were originally looking to purchase a chocolate lab, the same breed Player had been, but when that particular dog couldn’t complete his preliminary training, Michael was assigned Bama, a 10-month-old Belgian malinois.
“After Bama completed his initial training, I went down to the training center and we began working on getting to know one another and learning how to read each other,” Michael said.
“Each dog will indicate [they have found drugs] in a different way because no dog is exactly the same as another. Some dogs will raise their tail when they find something, some will raise the hair on their backs. Bama starts to get more excited when he finds something so when he starts acting that way, I know we’re getting close.”
Michael was also involved in teaching Bama obedience and forming a bond of mutual trust.
“Just like a human partner, you have to be able to trust your canine,” Michael said. “You want to know he’s reliable, good-tempered and will do what you need him to do at the right time.”
Michael said he also needed to be sure Bama was good-natured enough to be around children of all ages since a big part of his duties as a K9 officer include going into the schools and being around students.
“A drug dog can be an excellent public relations tool for the police department because when you bring a friendly dog around these kids at the school, it can help them learn the police aren’t something to fear and that we’re here to help,” he said.
“We also help the schools with random drug searches and drug programs, so with all this interaction with young people, we needed to be positive he could handle it.”
Michael said they went through some training exercises where he would poke Bama, pull on his tail, get close to his face and do other things that might aggravate him.
“You never know what the kids are going to do, and poking and pulling his tail are things we encounter sometimes,” he said, “but Bama never got agitated or upset, so I think he’ll do great in the schools.”
The road to acquiring Bama wasn’t as easy as some might think because trained and capable drug dogs like Player and Bama don’t come cheap.
Purchasing Bama was going to cost $8,000 – a sum the police department just didn’t have in these tough economic times.
“Chief Hargett knows how important Player was to the department and he was in full support of us getting a new drug dog when Player passed away, but he couldn’t help the fact that the funds just weren’t there,” Michael said.
Knowing the department couldn’t shoulder the cost, Michael took it upon himself to raise the money because he knew from a decade’s worth of experience how important a trained drug dog can be.
“There were so many cases that Player helped with where the drugs might not have been found if it weren’t for him,” Michael said. “Getting these drugs off our streets is important to our department and having a drug dog is an invaluable tool.”
Through fundraisers, donations from the community and money allocated by the Russellville City Council, Michael was able to raise the full $8,000 to purchase Bama and begin his training in Tuscaloosa, which they completed on Aug. 10.
As his first two weeks patrolling with Bama came to a close, Michael said he couldn’t help but think of all the people who made it all possible.
“I just can’t find enough ways to thank everyone who had a hand in making a new drug dog for the department a reality,” Michael said. “It means a lot to me because I am a firm believer in this K9 unit and what it offers the department and the community. Having so many people help me raise this money shows me the community really believes in what I do and what Bama will do.”
Since being officially on duty the past two weeks, Michael said they’ve been out on regular patrol and already assisted in a few vehicle searches, and Bama has performed well.
“I’m proud of all the progress he’s made and I’m excited about his future with the Russellville Police Department.”