While Lowndes County Patrol Deputy Hunter McBride is used to going into dangerous situations wearing his ballistic vest, his K-9 partner Gero is still getting used to the new one he received just a few weeks ago.
The vest, which is about five pounds and protects from both bullets and knives, is the first of its kind for the sheriff’s office. It comes thanks to national nonprofit Vested Interest in K-9s, which collects donations and provides protective vests to law enforcement dogs across the country. McBride called the vest “essential” for 7-year-old Gero’s safety.
“They face a lot of the same stuff (we do), so having the vest is a big deal, because we just don’t know what they’re going to get into,” McBride told The Dispatch on Thursday morning while petting the K-9. “Don’t know the intentions of the person you’re going after. There’s a lot of unknown, and having the vest, you have a safety barrier.”
Working as a law enforcement K-9 can be a dangerous job. A Capitol Police officer was conducting a traffic stop Thursday afternoon in Jackson when an unrelated vehicle approached and opened fire. The officer was not seriously physically injured, but a K-9 inside the officer’s patrol vehicle was struck, and the extent of its injuries is unknown, according to a press release from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
“They’re just as important as our human partners,” McBride said Thursday morning.
Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said he was excited to receive Gero’s vest to help keep the K-9 safe, but also because LCSO has been working to increase its K-9 program recently, which comes with a variety of expenses.
Each dog trained and certified to work as a K-9 typically costs about $20,000, Hawkins said.
McBride said Gero, a Belgian Malinois, worked for another law enforcement agency before he transferred to LCSO about a year and a half ago. For McBride to work with Gero, he had to go to an 8 to 12 week training course for his initial certification. The pair must be recertified annually, and do weekly four-hour runthroughs of all the dog’s skills in narcotics detection, tracking and apprehension to refresh both of them.
K-9 equipment is also expensive, since much of it has to be specially made, Hawkins said.
“It’s very cost-efficient for us to be able to apply for that and be able to afford to get a vest, because they’re expensive,” Hawkins said. “They’re $1,500 or $1,800 for a vest for a K-9.”
LCSO currently has five traditional K-9s on the force, McBride said, including Gero, Rip, Rocky, Scorpion and Taser. LCSO also has a bloodhound for tracking.
“They all have their own personalities,” McBride said. “Some of them, they’re very social. Some of them don’t like nobody but their handler.”
McBride said out of all the things Gero is trained to do, he is best at apprehending suspects.
Since he and Gero have started working together, Gero has successfully detected drugs about 15 times and apprehended about 20 suspects, though he has not had to bite a suspect to apprehend them, since his mere presence often makes them surrender.
McBride said if he gets out of the car during a traffic stop or another encounter, Gero will pace in his kennel in the back, looking out and listening for danger. Sensors in the rear of the car monitor the dog’s temperature at all times. McBride can also use a button strapped to his vest to pop open the door to the car, letting Gero out to provide backup if necessary.
While he and Gero have apprehended a suspect in a stabbing together before, McBride said so far, the greatest challenge they have overcome has been helping others on their shifts become more comfortable with dogs.
“Some people are petrified of dogs, so being able to show them what the dogs can do and how they work and let them understand it so they can be comfortable being around them too, that’s something we work on in our shifts individually, so they know what to expect and we can make it as safe as we can for everybody,” McBride said.
Each vest that Vested Interest provides to dogs employed with law enforcement comes with a five year warranty, a press release from LCSO said. But Gero’s vest also includes a special message from its donors, McBride said, which reads, “Born to Love – Trained to Serve – Loyal Always.”
McBride said going to work with Gero is like being partners with his best friend. Gero is a “workaholic,” McBride said, who loves playing with his ball as a reward for doing a good job. He also has a few other quirks that come out when the vest and harness come off.
“He loves a good bowl of macaroni and cheese,” McBride said with a laugh. “We have found that out.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
