Chambersburg Police add new, friendlier K9

CHAMBERSBURG -- The Chambersburg Police Department's new dog brings additional capabilities to the K9 team.

The 11 dogs used by the department over the past 23 years have been trained in elite smelling abilities and aggression. But Chief Ron Camacho saw a need for dog specializing in social interaction and people tracking.

More:New Chambersburg Police dog joins force

Sgt. Rick Morrissette, head of the K9 unit, said dogs trained in aggression could be "set off" by something unexpected happening during school visits. In fact, he said, the department declined requests for K9s at some local events because of the dogs' aggressive nature.

"An aggression dog spends a whole lot of time practicing (an aggressive response) and we're rewarding that behavior," Morrissette said. 

For instance many years ago, a clown arrived while the K9 unit was doing a demonstration at an elementary school, he said. It triggered the dog, which had been trained to attack a trainer wearing a padded suit.

"Seeing a suit, we trained for that," Morrissette said. "It created an atmosphere that seemed not so pleasing for everybody -- there were people that got scared."

Similarly, at another school, a balloon popped while a K9 unit was visiting, which sounded like a gunshot and set off the dog.

"When you go into the schools and you have an aggression dog, there's a lot of liability at risk there. There's a lot of control factors that need to be considered." Morrissette said. "In this particular case, you know, we're really hoping for a people-person dog in a sense. One that really enjoys being around people." 

The new dog, Mattis, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever, was purchased to fill that void.

"The lab gives us the best of both worlds, The superior sense of smell, high energy hunting dog so they can find people, articles and evidence, but also can interact a little bit better with the public," Morrissette said.

Mattis' handler, Patrolman Patrick Hinds, will be a first-time K9 handler and is excited about the challenge.

"I love dogs. It also gives me a chance to be a greater asset to the department, so those are the main reasons why I wanted to be a K9 officer," Hinds said. 

Mattis is almost done with his initial training, and has been with Hinds for about a month. Hinds said the training is challenging, but Mattis is doing well.

"It always gives you a sense of pride to see how far he's come, and how much we're developing as a team ourselves," Hinds said.

Once they're done with the initial training, Hinds will work his normal shift, but be on call for any shift or agency that requests their help.

Mattis will be certified to search for drugs, articles and evidence and to track people. He cost significantly less than previous police dogs because he didn't require the aggression training, Morrissette said.

Mattis' $8,500 price tag was funded totally through donations, from the Marine Corp League, AmVets, The American Legion and Sons of the American Legion, among others.

A final larger donation came from a donor who wished to remain anonymous, Morrissette said. The donor's father was a veterinarian, and the donor helped fund the dog as a way to memorialize his dad.

Mattis will complete 16 hours of training every month, but also trains whenever Hinds finds the time.

"It's one of those things that the training never stops," Hinds said.

While the department knows Mattis will be useful for tracking, they are eager to see how his social skills develop.

"We're trying to focus it on the positive aspects of policing," Morrissette said. "We're also channeling the lab's familiarity, his natural desire to be socialized, natural desire to be around people, to put that back into the community." 

And although police are planning to bring him around people more, Morrissette said it is still important to remember that Mattis is a dog.

"Let me just remind everybody that dogs have 72 teeth in their mouth. The chances of a dog grabbing hold of somebody, you know are serious," Morrissette said.  "And that's why in preventing dog bites we tell everybody, from the smallest dog to the largest dog, you must get permission from the owner."

Look for Mattis, and Hinds, at community events in the near future.

"I'm very excited," Hinds said. "He's excited too."

Becky Metrick, 717-262-4762