Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office adds new K-9 to patrol staff
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit recently doubled in size with the addition of a new 18-month-old German shepherd and his deputized handler.
The first day of patrol for K-9 Deputy Storm and Deputy Michael Jericoff was Wednesday, said Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Greg Stark, and both were ready to make their bones working in the specialized fields of narcotics detection and, more rarely, suspect apprehension.
“Having two K-9 units allows them to work opposing schedules, thus allowing for greater coverage,” Stark said. “Canines also assist in de-escalating situations.”
Part of the reason for the introduction of a new K-9 team was to have their specialized services and skills available at all or most times, Stark said, with another K-9 team filling in alternating hours. Though they are not called upon every day, they are used at least weekly to follow up with vehicle or home searches, or perform a public relations function in places such as schools.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, K-9 Deputy Storm was first raised in the Netherlands before being activated to a training program in 2019.
His handler began as a deputy in February 2019 and recently graduated from the canine handlers course, a 320-hour foundational program that develops a bond between a K-9 and its handler.
In the course, the pair learns about obedience, tracking, search techniques, officer protection and other skills commonly used by K-9s in the field. Most of the K-9’s skills are derived from detection of scent patterns, signalling to the handler and repetition, especially when searching for narcotics, guns or ammunition.
The K-9 is also taught how to effectively and non-lethally track and apprehend a suspect in the field using a biting technique that keeps a hold on a suspect.
The development of the K-9 during this formative training is instrumental in forming a bond with the handler. Often, they are partners in every sense of the word and spend the most amount of time together to generate a familial-type relationship.
Jericoff began in the field of canine handling and worked as a canine trainer for a vendor in the Central Valley that specialized in police canines, a Sheriff’s Office press release said.
Jericoff and Storm received their certifications and funding as a result of a fundraiser hosted by the Calaveras County Canine Unit and the Friends of Calaveras Sheriff’s Office, a nonprofit organization.
Stark said the fundraiser,
which sold T-shirts and commemorative shoulder patches, raised enough funds to cover all the required training and certification, or about $16,000.
Some of the donors included Spence Feed, Arnold Pet Clinic, A1 Sharpening, Century 21MM Dena Daluz, Gold Country Auto Body, Senders Market, A.G. Spanos Companies, Top Dog Police K9, Harrah’s Northern California, Realty World Valley Springs, Oak Savanna and other private citizens.
The K-9 division in Calaveras County also includes a corporal and his partner, K-9 Nox, who are also specialized in suspect apprehension and the detection of illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
K-9 Nox was notably used in the apprehension of murder suspect David Fa
gundes in Copperopolis last year following an hourslong standoff.
During the standoff, deputies had to create a containment perimeter around Fagundes, who at the time was believed to have a firearm and was the primary suspect of a dead woman who was found in an incinerated SUV outside Copperopolis.
Nox, a 2-year-old Malinois, was deployed after a hostage negotiator failed to coax out Fagundes, who was making threats and suicidal statements. Deputies at the time shot non-lethal bean bag munitions at Fagundes, and Nox latched onto the man with its teeth. The deployment of the K-9 effectively ended the standoff, and Fagundes was arrested.
Stark said K-9 Nox was trained to work specifically with the SWAT team and was deployed in high-risk search warrants.
Nox and Storm likely will join in public relations efforts, where deputies share them in schools and other demonstrations.
Storm also will join in a league of other K-9s in the Mother Lode, which include K-9 Hans, K-9 Beau and K-9 Zeus in Tuolumne County.