K-9 Red

K9 Red

K9 Red is an American bred German Shepherd. His breeder has been training GSD’s for years in Search and Rescue (SAR) in Maine. Her SAR work with K9 Red’s father has been shown on the cable show Animal Planet. Red’s father and mother were both SAR trained dogs. Red’s grandfather was a working police dog in the southern United States.

On March 14, 2008 after 10 weeks of training, Red and Officer Suss were both certified as a Narcotics detection team from the Worcester Police K9 academy. Red is trained to detect the odors of Marijuana, Heroin, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine. Officer Suss and K9 Red have successfully certified with the United Stated Police Canine Association as a Narcotic Detector Dog team. They do this on an annual basis.

After working for about six months, both Officer Suss and Red went back to school and attended the Boston Police K9 Patrol Academy. They graduated after 14 weeks and received a certification from the BPD as a Patrol K9 team. They were trained in tracking, evidence recovery, handler protection, and obedience.

Red's Career

During Red’s career, he has assisted officers with different investigations in both narcotics and patrol. K9 Red has been involved in multiple arrests where he’s either helped to locate narcotics or suspects while tracking. Here are a few examples of some successful initial deployments:

On March 18, 2009 K9 Red assisted Webster Detectives with searching a package suspected of containing narcotics. As a result Red located 2 pounds of marijuana which would have been shipped to a Webster address.
On March 16, 2009 K9 “Red” assisted the Southern Worcester County Drug Task force with a narcotic search. As a result he located one pound of marijuana in the top of a closet. K9 “Red” also located $1,200 all rolled up in a rubber band, along with drug “crib notes” which was hidden between mattress and box spring. Three people were arrested.
On June 1, 2009 K9 “Red” was called into work by Webster Officers investigating an assault involving narcotics. After one of the suspects did not consent for the officers to search the inside of his vehicle, K9 “Red” was called into action. After doing an exterior “narcotic” sniff, “Red” gave a strong indication that there were narcotics present in the vehicle, giving officers all the probable cause they needed to search. K9 “Red” did an interior search of the car and immediately indicated that there were narcotics inside the vehicle dashboard. In that exact location, over an ounce of marijuana, all 24 small packets for distribution were found. As a result of K9 “Red’s” search, two people were arrested and $1,300 of suspected drug money was seized.
On August 31, 2009 Officer Suss and K9 Red were dispatched to Church Court for an active domestic assault and battery. Prior to the officers arriving, the suspect fled the area on foot after he assaulted his disabled girlfriend by fracturing her wrist. K9 Red located the suspect hiding in the woods. He was arrested after he struggled with the officers at the scene.
On January 28, 2010 Webster Police were called to Eddy Street for a reported breaking and entering in progress. After the officers arrived, K9 Red was utilized to search the residence. Red located a suspect and alerted officers to his hiding place under a bed. The suspect was also arrested with a struggle by the police.
On May 22, 2010 Officers were dispatched for a reported robbery by two individuals. One suspect was arrested after a foot pursuit and struggle with the responding officers. At 3 a.m. that night the suspect, a career criminal with over 100 charges on his criminal record complained of injuries and was taken to a local hospital. After assaulting a doctor and a police officer, the suspect escaped on foot. Wearing only a hospital gown and sneakers, the suspect ran through woods, crossing a highway, and into a residential neighborhood, where he ended up naked hiding behind houses. K9 Red along with other K9’s from the Mass State Police tracked the suspect through the woods. At approximately 6 a.m. a woman reported seeing a naked man hiding behind a house in the Myrtle Avenue neighborhood. K9 Red tracked from the area where he was spotted to the front of a house, which Officers learned belonged to the suspect’s relative. He was subsequently captured inside the basement.
On November 20, 2010 K9 Red was utilized to assist the South Worcester County Task Force again in a neighboring Town. As a result of his searching, K9 Red assisted officers in locating over 100 grams of crack cocaine. One suspect was arrested.

2011 Work

On February 21, 2011 K9 Red assisted the Oxford Police Department. Oxford Officers responded to a domestic disturbance on Old Webster Road. The suspect came home heavily intoxicated and got into a verbal argument with his family. Just prior to entering the house, he slipped on some ice and severely injured his face. After making suicidal threats the suspect ran into the nearby woods. The current conditions were extreme cold and the woods were blanketed with knee deep snow. Oxford Officers searched the nearby trails for approximately 30 minutes before calling for a K9 Unit. The trails in the woods were already frequently used by the man and his housedog in addition to the other contamination. Using a bloody towel as a scent article, K9 Red tracked from the house and located the suspect passed out in the snow behind a tree in the deep woods. The suspect fought with officers while being taken into custody. Because of the suspect’s intoxicated condition and the extreme temperatures outside, K9 Red was credited with saving this person’s life.
On February 27, 2011 K9 Red was requested by the Auburn Police Department to assist with a Narcotics Investigation. After receiving and investigating information of a possible delivery of marijuana traveling to their town. K9 Red was called for a narcotics search. K9 Red located 11.5lbs of marijuana concealed inside a suitcase inside the vehicle’s trunk.
On May 2, 2011 K9 Red was requested to assist a Narcotics task force in sniffing a suspicious package for a Federal Investigator. Because of K9 Red’s narcotic sniff, Officers were able to obtain a search warrant for the package. Four pounds four ounces of marijuana were located inside.
On August 25, 2011 K9 Red assisted Federal Postal Inspectors with a package search of a suspected shipment of marijuana to a Webster address. K9 Red’s indication on the package gave officers the necessary probable cause for an anticipatory search warrant. The package was delivered to the address by one of the Postal Inspectors and the search warrant was executed. Over one pound of marijuana was inside the package after it was opened. One person was arrested for Marijuana distribution and a “Grow Operation” was discovered inside the apartment.
On August 25, 2011 K9 Red assisted the South County Narcotics Task Force with another Narcotics Investigation that was initiated by Federal Postal Inspectors. One suspect was arrested at the Webster Post Office when he was trying to pick up a package containing over one pound of marijuana. During the investigation another search warrant was obtained for a Southbridge address for another involved suspect. K9 Red conducted a narcotics search and located over a pound of marijuana inside the apartment. As a result of this investigation and the above one, three persons were arrested and charged with narcotics distribution, two search warrants were obtained, and suspected drug money was seized from both locations.
On August 31, 2011 K9 Red assisted Webster Detectives with a Narcotics Search Warrant on Lake Street after receiving information from Postal Inspectors about a suspicious package containing marijuana. K9 Red located just under a pound of marijuana and Hashish in the apartment. In addition to that other drugs such as Ketamine, LSD, Ecstasy, and Hallucinogenic Mushrooms were also discovered. In total almost three pounds of marijuana, suspected drug money, and the above drugs were seized.
On September 2, 2011 K9 Red was called by the Sturbridge Police Department to help with a narcotics investigation. A plainclothes police officer observed what appeared to be a drug transaction in a parking lot of business near the Mass Pike and I84. After stopping the vehicle the officer requested a narcotic detecting dog. K9 Red was called to assist. After sniffing the vehicle, K9 Red indicated there were narcotics present inside the rear of the cab. This showed officers where 10 grams of cocaine were located. The man was arrested and charged with cocaine possession with the intent to distribute.
On November 7, 2011 while on routine patrol in town, the K9 Unit stopped and arrested a man for various traffic offenses. The man’s nervous behaviors, drug history, and other factors led Officers to utilize K9 Red to search his vehicle. K9 Red located narcotics hidden inside the vehicle packaged for distribution. The narcotics and over $2,100 of suspected drug money were seized in addition to the suspect being charged.