K-9 teams back patrolling Turlock streets

Fresh from five weeks of training, Turlock’s two police K-9 teams started patrol duties Wednesday, bringing dogs back on the force after a four-year absence.

Department veterans Nim Khamo and Queray McMihelk spent Tuesday introducing their still young, four-pawed partners to fellow offiers at the Turlock public safety center, where they will spend their career. Khamo called it his “first day back to reality.”

Khamo works with Varick, a 2 1/2 -year old German shepherd-Malinois mix. McMihelk drives with 3-year-old Keyser, a rare all-black German shepherd from the Czech Republic.

“People love dogs, so they’re great for public relations,” said Chief Rob Jackson as he watched the dogs checking out their new surroundings Tuesday. Operationally, the dogs serve as “a force multiplier,” he said, able to find hiders, catch runners and clear buildings more efficiently than officers with only two legs.

Jackson had a K-9 partner while a sheriff’s deputy and worked with drug-sniffing dogs on the drug enforcement unit.

“Working with K-9s can be stressful at times, and also very humbling. They definitely can do things that make you blush,” he said, shaking his head with a grin.

He added, almost wistfully, “Not once did somebody run from me.”

There are several past K-9 handlers in the Turlock ranks. Jackson said 10 applied for the two positions.

McMihelk has worked patrol for nine years, always taking night shifts, he said. Wednesday was his first day shift. The teams will cycle through day, swing and night rotations to see what works best. The variety will also give the dogs a chance to work different scenarios while they continue their training.

His new roommate has “a very high play drive,” McMihelk said with a smile. “When he’s been in his kennel for five or 10 minutes, he’s very laid back. When he comes out, he’s super hyper at first,” McMihelk said.

Varick also has a playful side, but with the Khamo family’s bouncing new human addition, at home Varick also takes a back seat. On patrol, Varick and Khamo are learning together how to put their best feet forward.

“We’re working on it. It’s a continual building (of skills),” Khamo said.

The dogs will not wear bullet-proof vests, a bow to Valley heat as much as the cost, McMihelk said, and the recent stabbing of Stanislaus County Sheriff’s K-9 deputy Rocky is a concern.

“He’s my buddy now and I don’t want to send him into (dangerous) situations knowingly,” McMihelk said. “But that’s his job.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 7:29 PM with the headline "K-9 teams back patrolling Turlock streets."