On September 19, 2019 four members of the Essex County Sheriff’s Department (ECSD) addressed the Lynn Rotary Club at their weekly luncheon at the Old Tyme restaurant.
The officers and their dogs are often “loaned” out by Sheriff Coppinger to police departments in Essex County to assist local police in their enforcement activities and other needs. Sergeant Sousa told us about a recent case where an Alzheimer patient was lost and Patton helped in locating him in a wooded area. He also told us that a very high percentage of ten and twenty dollar bills have traces of illicit drugs on them that sometimes the drug sniffing dogs will zero in on a draw or bag full of bills, thinking he found drugs.
Captain Cote explained that K-9’s are used to apprehend suspects in various situations. The K-9’s are trained to grab the suspect by the arm or thigh to help secure a suspect until handcuffs can be applied. Most people think the dog is attacking the person, but it is only “grabbing” the person to hold him, or her. The dogs are also used for crowd control, especially inside the ECSD’s house of correction. If a group of inmates are fighting or threatening others, once a K-9 enters the area the inmates quickly stop their aggressive behavior.
Everyone at the lunch meeting really enjoyed their presentation of the role of K-9's in law enforcement, especially in the Sheriff's Department. The picture on the left is Sgt Sousa and Cpt Cote. The other picture is Cpt Cote with Dash.
