Riverside County Sheriffs Department Host 18th Annual K9 Trials

Showcasing the effective training of the Riverside County Sheriff Department's K-9 division was the agenda of the 18th Annual K-9 Trials, held Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2 in Moreno Valley. Visitors filed into the Valley View High School campus beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday morning for the second day of the competition, this time opened to the public. Sergeant Anthony Williams, Riverside County Sheriff Department K-9 supervisor, explained the purpose of the event is to showcase the officer’s effective ability to train their K-9 counterpart. “[The purpose of the event is to] test the dogs and to share training with other departments,” Sgt. Williams said. “We have dogs from Canada, Mexico and of course dogs from the United States.” The competition was divided into different sections of events to highlight the dogs' abilities to successfully demonstrate their training. “It’s a big event; there are close to 60 dogs competing today,” Sgt. Williams said. “We're testing the dogs on their obedience, apprehension and searching ability”. Each of the officers was judged by their effective ability to give verbal and physical commands and the K-9's ability to obey and complete the commanded task. Dog handler teams each year compete in a two-day competition designed to test narcotic detection, evidence location, protection, agility and obedience, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department K-9 Team website. The first day of competition is closed to only officers and their canines; the second day of competition is public and takes place during a public safety fair on site adjacent to the competition, where visitors can talk with local fire departments, the Riverside County Underwater Search and Recovery Team, Mounted Posse, Hazardous Device Team, Special Enforcement Bureau, and Aviation Team, who are onsite to provide demonstrations to the public while the K9 teams compete. Deputy Matt Schmidt was one of the many officers at the competition representing his department at the K-9 trials. Schmidt stated, “We go to a six week academy for the dog and myself and we learn many different commands." The academy is intended to train the officer as well as their service dog so that they may become familiar with one another. Deputy Schmidt also mentioned that they become solely responsible for their canine's care and that they become a part of their families. In the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's approximately 7,208 square mile jurisdiction, which ranges from San Bernardino County to San Diego County and from Orange County to the Arizona state line, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department K-9 Team is made up of 23 deputies out of the department's 3,000 stationed across the county to provide safety to the over 2,189,641 Riverside County citizens. Currently, 17 dual-purpose K-9 teams are trained to apprehend criminals and detect hidden narcotics; the K-9 team also employs two Bloodhound tracking dogs, which help officers locate fleeing criminals, lost hikers and missing persons. The results of the competition released by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department K-9 Team are as follows: Protection results, Top Dog: James Smith and K9 Nero, Oceanside Police Department. First place, overall, open category: Zach McWaters and K9 Nero, Ontario Police Department. First place, overall, novice category: Richard Fransik and K9 Whiskey, RSO Perris. First place, obedience: Joe Green and K9 Flak, Dos Palos Police Department. First place, agility: Trojo Cabrera and K9 Ciro, Policia Mexicali. First place, building search: Joe Maltese and K9 Smokey, Rialto Police Department. First place, protection: Justin Breen and K9 Kimo, Rialto Police Department. First place, area search: Heath Noyes and K9 Spike, RSO Jurupa Valley. First place, evidence search: Sean Lawlor and K9 King, Murrieta Police Department. Narcotic results, Top Dog: Trevor Cullen and K9 Argo, Orange Police Department. First place, overall, open category: Jeff Hurd and K9 Baron, RSO Hemet. First place, parcel search: Jason Santistevan and K9 Ozzi, RSO Moreno Valley. First place, vehicle search: Jason Santistevan and K9 Ozzi, RSO Moreno Valley. First place, area search, narcotics: Zach McWaters and K9 Nero, Ontario Police Department.