Patrol Division - Police Canine Unit

Police Canine Unit (K-9)

The canine program was established to supplement police operations by locating and apprehending criminal offenders and locating illegal narcotics and explosives. Because of their superior sense of smell, hearing and potential aggressiveness, the trained law enforcement canine is a valuable supplement to law enforcement manpower.

Utilization of canines requires adherence to procedures that properly control their use of force potential and channel their specialized capabilities into legally acceptable crime prevention and control. Each police dog handler is trained in the tactical application of his/her dog prior to being placed in an operational status. A dog handler assists in formulating plans of action for effective canine use. Canine use is based upon the immediate circumstances of a situation.

San Ramon Police Department’s Canine Program has been in existence since 2003. At the time, the Department started with one canine, Dar. The Department realized the value of additional resources and expanded to the present program to two canines.

Officer Marty Echelmeier and his K-9 partner “Dar”

Dar is a male German Shepherd and he was born and trained in the Czech-Republic. He began his training when he was eight weeks old. Dar was brought to the United States when he was two years old and was taken to a kennel in Southern California where he was purchased with federal grant money. Officer Echelmeier and Dar are in their eighth year of service.

Officer Chris Bruce and his K-9 partner "Bongo"

K-9 Bongo is the Department's most recent addition to the K-9 program. Officer Bruce and Bongo became partners in June 2010.

Bongo is a 4 year old, 78 pound German Shepherd originally from Raad Van Kennel club in Amsterdam. Bongo is a Schutzhund Level III trained dog. Being from the Netherlands, all of his commands are in Dutch. He was purchased from the same kennel in Riverside, Calif as Dar and paid for through community donations.

The K-9's each received over 320 hours of initial training prior to working. Weekly and daily training is a must, as they must pass strict annual P.O.S.T. certification standards. The standards are high. The dogs must obey their handlers without hesitation and be able to work under the most trying and adverse conditions.

The K-9's are specifically trained in tracking and trailing fleeing felons and lost children or adults. They have the ability to locate discarded articles and can detect the odor of narcotics. K-9s are particularly efficient in searching large fields or buildings for hiding suspects and can access small areas that officers would not be able to access. They are also very useful in high risk situations: vehicle pursuits that often lead into foot chases are where the K-9s' speed and tracking ability are very useful.

The K-9's are assigned to their handlers 24 hours a day. This strengthens the bond between the police canine and the handlers and it also allows for a quicker response to emergencies if they are requested while off-duty.

On an everyday basis, the K-9 teams are requested for K-9 searches and narcotic searches throughout the City of San Ramon and Contra Costa County. Both Dar and Bongo have also been successful with searching for narcotics and criminal offenders throughout the City of San Ramon.

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