By Erica Thomas, managing editor
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville Police Department welcomed a new member to the force and boy, does he have a nose for danger. Mike, the year-and-a-half-old malinois is an explosives-detecting dog but he is also able to track.
Officer Stephen Jordan is Mike’s handler. Jordan has been with the Trussville Police Department since 2017 and he is very happy to have a new partner.
“I was excited,” said Jordan. “My father-in-law was a K9 officer with Gardendale and the county and that is what made me want to do it. He passed away in 2018. He always told me about his dog.”
Mike was born in The Czech Republic and he even has his own passport. He’s a friendly dog but when it comes to sniffing out crime, he takes his job very seriously.
“We did a safety sweep of the Bessemer Courthouse and he did a good job,” Jordan said.
Mike was trained at Alabama K9. Jordan had to complete a 7-week training course to become a certified handler.
“The biggest thing I had to learn was the dog,” Jordan explained. “Learning his indications and when he is on an odor. I am still learning him, and it takes a while.”
The K9 alerts by sitting.
“You don’t want him to have an aggressive indication with bombs, you just want him to sit down,” Jordan explained.
He is then given a toy as a reward. Jordan said he looks forward to seeing how much of a difference Mike makes in the law enforcement world.
“It’s for the safety of the citizens, the schools, businesses,” Jordan added. “He also alerts on casings and gunpowder so he can find firearms and things like that. So, it’s good for the schools. If we run him in the schools, there won’t be any firearms and if there are, he will alert to them.”
Mike is the second K9 to join TPD. Leo has been with the department for three-and-a-half years. Leo sniffs out drugs and tracks, so his handler, Officer Nate Holloway, is pleased to have another dog on the force.
“He is going to add another layer of detection work with the explosives aspect,” said Holloway. “And with tracking, it’s another valuable tool because even in ideal weather situations, dogs can only track for up to 20 minutes.”
Both dogs train twice a month. Holloway says K9 training is the most important work for detection dogs.
“The more you track, the better the dog gets at it so, training is huge,” said Holloway. “Mike is fresh out of training so we will continually work on him and get him better and better as time goes on. He’s still very young.”
As for Officer Jordan and K9 Mike, it is a treat to work together.
“He’s a good dog,” Jordan said.
