Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Al Dials has a very special partner on his midnight patrol of the Warsaw streets. The only problem with his partner is the hair.
Hero has lots of thick black hair that floats throughout the patrol car, occasionally even landing in Dials' coffee cup.
Hero is a 2-year-old full-blooded black German shepherd. Not only does he have luxurious hair, Hero is also bilingual, obeying Dials' commands in English and German.
Patrolman Dials loves his job working with the dog as the K-9 officer of the Warsaw Police Department and takes good care of his partner.
Dials' career began to go to the dogs in the Air Force when he served as a bomb dog handler for four years. He served in southern California, using trained dogs to check planes, buildings and areas for explosives.
After the Air Force, Dials moved to a police force on the East Coast, where he advanced to corporal.
Dials, a native of Wabash, then moved to the Warsaw Police Department, where he has worked for seven years. Besides being the K-9 officer, Dials is one of the department's firearms instructors and an instructor in standard field sobriety tests.
From the start, Dials says he told the force he would like to do K-9 work because he enjoyed his previous experience; however, Warsaw already had K-9 sergeant Bob Long and Jimmy.
When Jimmy passed away last year, and Long decided not to get another dog, Dials was given the chance to be K-9 handler.
He met Hero at the Allen County Police K-9 Academy, where both master and dog spent 12 weeks of intensive training.
"We learned dogs are pack animals, and we must be the leaders," Dials says. "In the Air Force, we were only told the traits of dogs. Here we were taught why they did it. [Training] went into depth why dogs do what they do, so we are able to correct problems ourselves."
So far, Dials says he has had no problems with Hero that cannot be corrected.
"We never stop training the dog so they don't forget stuff or revert back," Dials says.
Hero began his training as a puppy. He was whelped in Poland sometime in October 1995 (Dials has picked Oct. 8 to celebrate Hero's birthday) and then exported to Germany, from where he was sent to the United States.
"The dogs are trained from puppies to the work they will do," said Dials. "They play tug of war for bite work, and they learn that balls are a reward."
Hero's training continued at the academy, where he was taught obedience on and off the leash, tracking, building, area and evidence searches, K-9 apprehension techniques and drug tracking.
"There are definite advantages to having a K-9," says Dials. "It shortens the time of a building search. If there's a burglar in a building, the dog can find him quicker. He can also track if a person gets away." Besides being certified to find cocaine, crack cocaine, meth and marijuana, Hero acts as a public relations tool that increases interest in the department, especially being used in schools for drug deterrence.
"Dogs save manhours," Dials explains. "It may take three to four cops to track when it only takes one dog. And it's safer for the police for the dog to find the bad guy."
Hero can also track and help find missing persons, or search for evidence dropped by criminals trying to escape.
Dials says his patrol is normal even with the dog, except "it gets noisier in the car."
Hero has a custom enclosed cage built in the back of Dials' patrol car. Since Hero takes up the entire back seat, Dials usually has to call in backup to transport any arrested suspects.
Since he has joined the force, Hero has discovered numerous small finds of drugs. He also started to track a suspect who stole a purse from a woman's home. Hero led the police to the abandoned purse, but it began to rain and washed away the scent before he could find a suspect.
"Hero hasn't had anything major yet," Dials says, "but I'm satisfied with his progress."
Dials keeps Hero at his home in a special kennel outside the house. He takes care of Hero even when the pair are not working. The police department has a K-9 budget for the costs of Hero's care, food and supplies.
Dials describes Hero as "hyperactive, playful, like a bull in a china shop. He only has one speed - go, go, go." When Hero is not working, Dials says he enjoys playing catch with a Frisbee.
Dials says even dogs have bad days when they may not feel like working. He can then turn to Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department K-9 officer Craig Bale and Fritz for backup. Hero and Fritz often train together for experience.
Hero has been with the Warsaw Police Department since training ended in June. However, he should have a long career ahead of him, since Dials says most K-9s can work eight to 10 years.
Hero is also taught to protect his handler, so citizens should approach Dials and Hero with caution.
