Page 10 - Clinton Currents Volume XIX Issue 3 - Fall 2019

Page 10 Fall 2019
ClintonTwp.PoliceDept.re-establishesitsK-9Unit (continuedfrompage1)
after Tammy Bice, a Grand Blanc police officer who sadly took her own life. “With a lot of our participants, there’s a disconnect with civilian life so as a treatment team, we select a fallen hero in the community to honor. It’s something productive that connects them back,” he said.
Daniel Cusenza is a U.S. Army combat veteran, who found that working for Prevention Concepts and Solutions has been the driving force behind
his recovery from PTSD.
Cusenza serves as a mentor to
other veterans and works as a
mental tness coach and K-9
handler. Cusenza was
assigned to train Bice, which
began when she was three
months old. Right from the
beginning, Cusenza quickly
realized she was a natural.
“There was no doubt about it,
she was going to be a police
dog,” he said. In recognizing
whether a young dog has the
right stuff to become a member of a K-9 unit, Cusenza said there are different characteristics that they look for. “It’s mind-blowing to see what they can do,” he said. “We’ll throw a ball into the woods, and the dog doesn’t see it or know where it goes. Then we send them out there to search for it. She (Bice) won’t come back until she nds it. She’ll be out there 15 or 20 minutes, so the hunt-drive is very high, and that quality falls over into (police) drug work.”
Near the end of Bice’s training, the Clinton Township Police Department had begun their search to add a
dog to its newly restored K-9 Unit. Police Chief Fred Posavetz was the Township’s rst K-9 officer, training his own German Shepherd puppy and offering it for service in 1984. Chief Posavetz believes the addition of a K-9 unit to a police department is a valuable tool in not only ghting crime but in bridging relationships with the public as well.
“I think what the public loves best is when you bring them to the
schools. The kids love them, and it’s good public relations,” he said. “Dogs can help you nd people by tracking from the scene of a crime. They can do large area searches while off the lead, nd drugs that are hidden, and also protect the handler.”
Officer Steve Wietecha, is the CTPD’s dog handler and keeper of K-9 Bice. He worked with her to complete K-9 Academy and all the
certi cations necessary to begin patrolling the streets, but training between handler and dog continues every day as Bice has taken up residence in the Wietecha home. Officer Wietecha says life has changed – for the better – now that Bice is part of the family. “My one and a half-year-old daughter just loves her,” he said.
For those who choose to engage in criminal activity inside the borders of Clinton Township, there’s a good chance they’ll experience rst hand the talents of K-9 Bice, CTPD’s new crime ghter.
Are you, or someone you know, looking for a job?
Clinton Township Employment Opportunities
The Charter Township of Clinton is always accepting employment applications. For further details, visit clintontownship.com/employment,
or call 586-286-9342