Private Donation Gives City a Fourth K-9 Team

Courtesy Chad Landry

Drake, an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois, is ready to "go to school" immediately to join the Lake Wales Police Department, creating a fourth K-9 team to provide 24/7 coverage for the local department.

The Lake Wales Police Department will soon be stronger and better-prepared for any emergency, thanks to either Drake or Eli, two Belgian Malinois dogs who represent a generous donation from Chad Landry, the owner of Patriot Canine Service of Plant City.

Canine units have become an integral part of police work, and the Lake Wales department is no exception, relying upon the highly-trained dogs since 1997 for criminal apprehension, tracking missing persons and suspects, building searches, evidence location, crowd control, narcotic detection, officer safety, and public demonstrations for educational purposes.

The Lake Wales Police Department has used canine teams since 1997. According to the city commission agenda, "the department quickly recognized the value of canines and soon expanded to four canine teams. Having four teams made it possible for a canine to be on duty during each shift, providing 24/7 coverage." The recent retirement of one team left them short.

Courtesy Chad Landry

K-9 Officer Chad Landry posed with the awards he and his dog, Badge, won during his time serving as part of the Lake Wales Police Department. Landry has been working with dogs since he was a teen and has offered to donate a dog to the Lake Wales department.

Landry recognized the need and has responded with the generous donation of either Eli, an eight-month-old Belgian Malinois that has already received some basic obedience training, or Drake, an 18-month old "that is ready for school," Landry said. A trained police dog is worth $10,000 to $20,000.

Landry began working with dogs as a teen, and his grandfather, an employee of the Polk County Sheriff's office, recruited him as a volunteer. Landry became a sworn law enforcement officer in 2007 working with the Sebring police, but that department did not have a K-9 unit.

Landry came to Lake Wales in 2012. After being assigned 8-month-old Police K-9 Dog "Badge," a Belgian Malinois, Landry "went on to great success on the streets, and even greater success in competition," the city commission's agenda packet stated.

Trained police dogs undergo a 400-hour police canine school and must then demonstrate proficiency in all areas of their training in the presence of two state evaluators before going into service.

Courtesy Chad Landry

This frisky six-month-old Belgian Malinois, Eli, is undergoing preliminary training with Chand Landry at his business, Patriot Canine Service, and will eventually be ready to enter advanced training for police work.

Dogs intended for use in drug interdiction must then attend 200 hours of narcotics training and certification to detect the presence of drug odors. The new canine will begin training with a new handler and be ready for duty next summer.