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WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – The students at Bells Elementary School couldn’t take their eyes off of the police officers who visited their school on Friday, May 29th. At least the ones of the four-legged variety. Led by Washington Township Police Department Sgt. Mike Conti, more than a dozen officers and their K-9 partners were on hand for a demonstration on the school fields.
Several members from the New Jersey Police K-9 Association attended the demo. Many of them are currently in the academy, learning to train and work with their dogs. Conti is an instructor in the academy, and part of the curriculum is learning how to do demonstrations at local schools and in the community.
While Conti educated the students on what the K-9s do, the dogs were the real stars of the show. At one point, 10 dogs – from Patrol Class 12 – were on the field at once doing a group obedience exercise. Later, one of the dogs demonstrated a scent search, before the highlight of the day: two separate chases. One had WTPD Ofc. Kevin Convery and his dog, Lync, hunt down a fellow officer who wore a protective sleeve. Then, a mock car chase onto the field led to Convery, acting as a criminal, fleeing the scene. Fellow Ofc. Jeff Kalber hit a button on his belt to automatically open his car door, and K-9 Ofc. Rosko sprinted out and took Convery to the ground.
Following that action, the students broke up into groups and had a chance to ask questions to the officers, who worked in teams with those groups.
K-9 Officers Take Center Stage
Police Department K-9 Demonstration Entertains and Educates Students at Bells Elementary School
Several members from the New Jersey Police K-9 Association attended the demo. Many of them are currently in the academy, learning to train and work with their dogs. Conti is an instructor in the academy, and part of the curriculum is learning how to do demonstrations at local schools and in the community.
While Conti educated the students on what the K-9s do, the dogs were the real stars of the show. At one point, 10 dogs – from Patrol Class 12 – were on the field at once doing a group obedience exercise. Later, one of the dogs demonstrated a scent search, before the highlight of the day: two separate chases. One had WTPD Ofc. Kevin Convery and his dog, Lync, hunt down a fellow officer who wore a protective sleeve. Then, a mock car chase onto the field led to Convery, acting as a criminal, fleeing the scene. Fellow Ofc. Jeff Kalber hit a button on his belt to automatically open his car door, and K-9 Ofc. Rosko sprinted out and took Convery to the ground.
Following that action, the students broke up into groups and had a chance to ask questions to the officers, who worked in teams with those groups.
- WTPS -