The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-02-29
THE POLICE DOGS OF NEW YORK CITY.

OOW, WOWj WOW - bAN h~W ~
lice call. New York city now has
five dog policemen on duty, and if
these canine sleuths prove valuable
other American cities may adopt the
innovation. The dogs are imported,
like the idea. They were brought
over from Client, in Belgium, where
eight years ago the first dog police
man in history became full hedged
member of the force. Now Client
has regular dog squad, while Paris
has a hundred dogs on her police
force, and other European cities use
trained CANNES as thief catchers.
Some months ago the New York
police department determined to in
vestigate the European dog police
system with view to adopting it in
case it should prove feasible. Many
horrible crimes had been committed
by miscreants in lonely spots, the
criminal escaping. 1t was believed
that dogs might render valuable aid
in catching the Williams. According
ly Police Lieutenant Wakefield, who
was an expert on dogs, was sent over
to Belgium. Wakefield thoroughly
studied the dog division of the Ghent
police force, learning just how to
educate the CANNES for their duties III
public life. The American police Of
fcer several times donned the uniform
and helmet of the Client patrolman
and walk beat, regular patrolman
being in civilian clothing and serving
as assistant in showing off the fine
points of the dog.
The chief thing that Lieutenant
Wakefield learned in dog education
for police duty was that the animal
must be taught to know and respect
the police uniform rather than the
man inside it.
Wakefield bought five Belgian
sheep dogs six months old and
brought them across the sea. One
died the day after arrival, so to keep
the force up to the desired number
an American canine was added. The
quintet of young dogs was taken to
an old residence in park in the up
per part of the city and "matricula-
ted'' at once in Americas first and
only police dog college. For four
months Lieutenant Wakefield, as
principal of the school, taught the
dogs how to learn to do police duty.
The first rule was that only uniform.
ed policeman was to feed them. An
other policeman, in civilian dress, was
assigned to snatch away the dish OF
food just as each dog began to eat
with relish and to do other tantaliz-
ing things. In this way the dogs
were taught to look upon men in po-
lice uniforms as their friends and to
regard all others with downright dis
trust.
Every day at stated intervals the
dogs were taken out in the park for
resSercise andtraiuiug Each dog was
muzzled, so that he could not bite,
but he was left free to do all the bark
ing he liked. While Lieutenant
Wakefield would hold dog in leash
one of the patrolmen in an old suit of
citizens clothes would impersou ate
the bad man to be captured. He
would stink around among the trees.
When lieutenant Wakefield released
the dog with the order, "attack y
there was immediate trouble for the
man in plain clothes. The dog as
sailed him fercely, either tripping
him up by twisting between his legs
or bowling him over by jumping
against his back with the fifty pounds
avoirdupois of Mr.. Dog The dogs
we're taught to continue the attack if
the captive attempted to arise, but If
he lay still they were merely to sit
and guard him until the arrival of a
man in uniform. Each dog learned
that he was to cease attack instantly
when the officer cried down -
Thus, in case the dog should attack
an innocent bystander just because
said bystander was not in police uni
form, the policeman could protect the
citizen, or, in the case of guilty
person, he could preserve the prisoner,
to be dealt with by the courts.
1t is fully proved that the dogs re-
spect the uniform and not the man
by the fact that Patrolman Beckman,
who fed the animals twice day dur
ing their college course, was the same
man who in civilian clothes acted as
the supposed crook. The dogs leaped
at him viciously when ordered to at
tack, but when Beckman was in uni
form they appeared to both venerate
and fear him.
Lieutenant Wakefield found much
difficulty in procuring suitable police
dogs in Europe. That fact should
encourage our ambitious American
dogs. Since one of the five police
dogs in New York is an American
and has proved that he can absorb
police education like Belgian there
is excellent prospect that many of
our own deserving dogs now running
around out of jobs owing to the firan-
cial stringency or other causes may be
elected to the police force. All they
have to do is to make good.