Middletown Division of Police News and Announcements

Middletown Police K9s and Handlers Take Top Prizes in Regional Competition

Middletown Division of Police hosted The United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) the Region Five Certifications May 15 through 19. The competition and certifications consist of Detector Dog Certifications and Patrol Dog 1 certifications. Detector certifications were held on Monday and involves cadaver dogs, explosive detection, and narcotics detection. These three events are scored separately with winners announced at the banquet on Monday, May 16. 

Tuesday began the Patrol Dog 1 phase (PD1), and this certification ran through Thursday. It consisted of Obedience, Agility, Evidence Search, Suspect Search, and Criminal Apprehension. The dogs do not have to do both phases as some handlers have dogs who only have drug duty; while others have dual purpose dogs, which includes drug and patrol duties.

Three of the Middletown K9 officers and their handlers won awards during this certification and competition. Koda and Dennis Jordan earned the top spot in Narcotic Detection Grand Total as well as Narcotic Vehicle category. Additionally, they placed second in Narcotic Room Area category.  Maverick and Lindsey Schwarber placed second in the overall competition with Bear and Anthony Gibson placing seventh, Maverick and Schwarber placed first in Overall Obedience and Overall Agility and ninth in Evidence Search.  Bear and Gibson placed eighth in Overall Obedience and Evidence Search, fourth in Overall Agility. Suspect Search was a close finish for two of the Middletown teams with Maverick and Schwarber taking fifth place and Bear and Gibson following very closely behind in sixth place. Maverick and Schwarber finished sixth in Criminal Apprehension. The dogs must score a minimum of 490 points to certify and 560 to qualify for nationals, which will be held in Valdosta, Georgia in September. There are likely to be about 200 K9s participating. Maverick/Schwarber and Bear/Gibson both qualified for nationals. This was a fantastic showing for the Middletown K9s and their handlers.

Middletown Division of Police K-9 units have been active since 1966 and include a long history with USPCA. There’s even an award given at the national level named after one of our K9 officers. The Russ Hess Lifetime Achievement Award which is awarded to “individual(s) who, during their lifetimes, have made significant and selfless contributions to the field of K9.” 

The regionals bring in a considerable amount of revenue and provide a great benefit for the City. The handlers/dogs stayed at the Drury Inn all week and at local restaurants. It brings a positive energy and positive news to the City of Middletown with the K9 teams. Middletown Police Department provided an outstanding event that rose to a national event sponsoring level. 

The United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) is the Nation’s Oldest and Largest Police K-9 Organization. Since 1971, the USPCA has been training and certifying police dogs in General Patrol Dog use, Tracking, Protection, Narcotic Detection, Explosive Detection, Arson, Fish and Game, and Search and Rescue. These certifications been upheld by more than 78 U.S. Supreme and Federal District Court rulings as a ‘Bona-Fide’ test for Police use. (from the USPCA website)