Monday, April 20, 1998
As summer’s dog days near, UCPD will be without their best
cop
POLICE: Tommy’s upkeep too costly to justify gains from having
him on force
By Ann Hawkey
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA Police Department has decided to say goodbye to one of
its finest. Police dog Tommy will soon leave UCLA, marking the end
of the K-9 unit on campus.
UCPD is in the process of selling six-year-old Tommy, the only
dog in the K-9 unit, to the South Pasadena Police Department. UCPD
chose to eliminate the K-9 unit, which has been in existence since
1978, because the value of the program no longer outweighs the
difficulties of maintaining it.
A major problem stems from the time commitment involved. K-9
dogs require consistent care and training to keep them alert. This
means the handling officer spent much of his time working with the
dog rather than patrolling.
"The K-9 officer spent 20 to 30 percent of his time training the
dog," said UCPD Assistant Chief Karl Ross. "We want to try to get
as many police officers as possible on the street to combat
crime."
The training and care of Tommy, as well as the time involved,
all lead to high costs incurred by a K-9 unit.
"K-9 units are not that cost effective," said Nancy Greenstein,
director of the Community Service Division of UCPD. "Fiscally, you
need to look at how you spend your funds."
Despite the costs, the K-9 unit has served a good purpose in the
past. The dogs were mainly used to patrol the area of University
Apartments South. UCPD has used dogs in arresting burglary suspects
and in brief foot pursuits.
"The dogs were involved in a lot of arrests, but nothing that
another officer or two don’t do on a routine basis," said Ross.
UCPD acquired Tommy in December 1995 after an increase in
telephone bomb threats to the university. Tommy, in addition to
training for regular patrol, has also been trained to detect bomb
residue.
With Tommy’s departure, UCPD will rely on surrounding
communities to provide dogs when necessary. For example, in the
case of a bomb threat, K-9 units from neighboring communities may
have a faster response time, because Tommy lives out of town with
his handling officer, making quick response difficult when he is
not on duty.
The South Pasadena Police Department decided to purchase Tommy
because they are currently restarting their K-9 program. Tommy is
the first dog they are buying.
Before Tommy begins work in South Pasadena, he will undergo a
five-week training program with his new handler.
"The training program is more for the handler than the dog,"
said Sergeant Mike Neff of the South Pasadena Police
Department.
"The dog is ready to go to work. The handler needs to get to
know the dog and learn how to read the dog," he said.
The South Pasadena Police Department has not yet chosen a new
handler for Tommy, so he will remain under the watch of his current
handler until a qualified replacement is found.
Although the UCPD has decided to end the K-9 unit, officers will
remember the positive aspects of the program.
"We’ve had K-9’s here for about the last 19 years," said Ross.
"We’ve done some wonderful things with them."