VIDEO: Residents learn about police K-9 program

Maricopa police Officer Craig Curry stopped by the department’s monthly Coffee with the Chief event Saturday along with his four-legged partner, Ike, to teach residents about the department’s K-9 program.

Ike, a Dutch Shepherd from the Netherlands, is trained in area searches and finding narcotics.

He is the second dog to join the police department since the agency’s K-9 program began in 2009. The department’s other handler, Officer Justin Thorton, is partnered with Kasper, a Belgian Malinois.

Curry explained to residents that Ike is not a tracking dog – he’s an “air scenter.”

“If I’m tracking, my dog will follow everywhere I step,” he said.  “If I’m air scenting, he’s just smelling the air for the nearest human body.”

Ike was trained to find narcotics using toys and cotton balls that have the scent of a drug. Curry said that when Ike is conducting a narcotics search and he finds the particular smell of a drug, the dog thinks he’s sniffing for his toy.

InMaricopa.com captured video of Curry showing Ike to residents and demonstrating the dog’s capabilities.