Officer Stuart Jaquez and Kane

The has two K-9 units—police officers who patrol with a trained police dog. We spoke to one of those officers, Stuart Jaquez, about why he chooses to work with his black sable German shepherd, Kane.

Gilroy Patch: You’ve worked with Kane for a little over a year?

Stuart Jaquez: Yes, I have.

Patch: What is the biggest benefit of working with a K-9 partner?

Jaquez: There are two benefits. First there's the increased margin of safety—safety not only for myself but also the safety of my fellow officers. Second, I am blessed to get to work every day with my buddy, Kane.

Patch: How does Kane keep you and other officers safer?

Jaquez: When Kane and I respond to a burglary, for example, Kane and I can check and safely clear a building of suspects much faster than a team of officers.

Patch: Why is Kane faster?

Jaquez: His sense of smell and sense of hearing are acute—far better than a human’s. When I take Kane to the schools for demonstrations, I explain it this way: When you or I walk into an Italian restaurant, we smell pizza. Take Kane into the same restaurant, and he smells each individual ingredient: dough, spices, garlic, onions, tomatoes, oregano, different kinds of meat.

Kane's sense of smell and sharp hearing can lead him to a suspect in seconds. When working without a dog, officers might look in closets or under tables and walk right past a person who is hiding and maybe armed. That doesn’t happen when Kane is on the job.

Patch: There was a short period when you were on a different assignment and Kane couldn't come to work with you.

Jaquez: Right. Normally our routine on work days is I take Kane out of his kennel and allow him time to run in my fenced back yard to burn off excess energy. When I’m ready, we load up in my patrol car and head to work together. While I was on the assignment, I would leave for work at the usual time but had to leave Kane at home.

Patch: He was pretty unhappy being left behind?

Jaquez: He was. Kane is a working dog; he wants to work and doesn’t understand “time off." Kane has a routine, and he didn’t understand why I wasn’t following it during my temporary assignment.

Patch: You both are happy to be back on the job together.

Jaquez: Yes. When there’s a serious incident, we assign ourselves to those calls. We're the front line. Kane has unique skills that assist officers during those types of calls.

Patch: Kane has had some specialized training. Does he come to you fully trained or do you train with him?

Jaquez: Both. When I first got Kane he was a year and a half old. At that point he had been trained in basic obedience and protection work by a breeder in the Czech Republic. We train together continually, so his training is ongoing.

Patch: Why have a dog that comes from the Czech Republic and not the U.S.?

Jaquez: The Gilroy Police Department contracts with a local K-9 training facility that imports and works with trained police K-9. The training facility also provides POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) Certified Police K-9 Handler Training. The imported police dogs are bred for both their temperament and their proven ability to do the work required of a police dog. Most of the police dogs are imported from Germany and the Czech Republic.

Patch: Do you get to choose your dog or is a dog assigned to you?

Jaquez: In my case, I was fortunate when it came time to select a K-9 partner. I went to the training facility with two experienced K-9 handlers, and we were able to observe several dogs.

Patch: And you chose Kane.

Jaquez: After working with several of the dogs and consulting with the trainer as well as the experienced K-9 handlers, we decided Kane was the best choice.

Patch: Did he go to work with you the day that you got him?

Jaquez: No, Kane first came home with me. There’s a two-to-three week bonding phase that we call the “honeymoon period.” There’s no training during that time; it’s a chance for the dog and the handler to bond before the real training starts.

Patch: After a few weeks, the honeymoon’s over.

Jaquez: Yes, so to speak, and real training begins. Police K-9 training is a month of intensive training that continually tests the dog and handler and molds them into a cohesive working K-9 team. At the end of the training, Kane and I are given a day-long California POST Certified practical test. The test evaluates our skills as a working K-9 Team. After successfully passing the state POST K-9 test we are then certified as a police K-9 team and assigned to street patrol.

Patch: You said you continue training with Kane. How often?

Jaquez: Kane and I train every day on some aspect of our job. We also attend formal K-9 training sessions twice a month throughout the tri-county area where we are tested and evaluated by a certified K-9 trainer.

Patch: You would think that once a dog is trained, he’s finished and further training wouldn’t be necessary.

Jaquez: The formal training sessions allow us to constantly refine and fine-tune our K-9 skills. We also train on different scenarios with the dogs. We want to challenge the K-9’s—and us, the handlers—to be prepared for a variety of situations. Additionally Kane and I must re-certify and successfully pass the state POST K-9 test every year.

Patch: What language do you speak to Kane?

Jaquez: I give him commands in Czech. It was easier for me to learn the Czech commands than for him to learn to respond to commands in another language.

Patch: And you have another retired police dog at home, right?

Jaquez: Yes, Hala. I was not Hala's K-9 handler but she is retired and lives with us. Kane is my first police K-9 as a handler.

Patch: Do you speak Czech to Hala as well?

Jaquez (laughing): No. I speak Czech to Kane, German to Hala and I speak English to my wife.

Patch: Were you always interested in becoming a police officer?

Jaquez: Actually no, I was interested in the medical field and enjoyed music. My first jobs after high school and while attending college were working on an ambulance for Bigley's Ambulance Service and later SCV Paramedic Service. I enjoyed the emergency medical response aspect of the job. I also worked for a local concert promoter, Bill Graham, and was fortunate to work with some of the largest rock bands of that era—Santana, Journey, The Doobie Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, The Grateful Dead and several others.

Patch: You worked with big names!

Jaquez. I did. Using that experience (laughs), I went to work for IBM as a manager in their corporate security and emergency response departments. While working for IBM, I became interested in police work and became a San Jose Police reserve officer. While at SJPD I was fortunate to work with their K-9 unit and I became one of the founding members of their search and rescue scuba diving unit.

Patch: A police diver?

Jaquez: Yes, police divers search for evidence and at times victims of drowning or foul play.

Patch: Oh. That’s a hard job.

Jaquez: It can be difficult, but at the same time it's rewarding. I left both IBM and SJPD and went to work for NASA as a federal law enforcement officer. While at NASA, I was fortunate to be assigned to the United States Secret Service and had quite a few opportunities to work with their K-9 team on several presidential and dignitary security details.

Patch: You have a well-rounded resume.

Jaquez: I been extremely lucky and blessed to have had those opportunities.

Patch: Can any officer who requests a dog get one?

Jaquez: No, it’s not that simple. First, the department must have a K-9 opening, and those vacancies don’t happen very often. Once a K-9 opening is announced, an officer can apply and submit a memo of interest outlining experience and relevant training as it applies to the K-9 handler position. If your memo is accepted, you must successfully pass an oral board. Based on your oral board, you are then scored and ranked. The top-ranked officer gets the K-9 position.

Patch: You believe that a K-9 makes your work safer for you and the other officers.

Jaquez: Yes, I do.

Patch: Then why aren’t there more K-9s on the force?

Jaquez: The Gilroy Police Department is currently authorized two K-9 positions. Kane and his patrol training costs approximately $13,000. I am fortunate that the Gilroy Police Department pays for half of the total bill, and the K-9 officer pays for the other half. Being a K-9 handler is a huge commitment in both time and money.

Patch: You must really love working with dogs to be a K-9 handler.

Jaquez: It's true. There are long hours, callouts from home, maintaining your dog’s fitness and, of course, dealing with the endless supply of dog hair (laughs).

Patch: Does Kane bring that much value to your work?

Jaquez: Absolutely. Not only is Kane faster at finding a suspect, but he is also a force multiplier.

Patch: Explain what you mean by that.

Jaquez: For example, if we respond to a felony car stop—a high-risk car stop—when suspects inside the car see and hear Kane, many times instead of fleeing or fighting they will peaceably surrender. They’ll be listening to the officer’s commands but looking at the dog.

Patch: Why do you think that is?

Jaquez: A police K-9 is trained to respond to my commands and the situation. Kane isn’t thinking about whether the suspect is large, has a knife or a gun. The dog would react the same way even if the suspect did pull a gun and on some level I feel most people understand that.

Patch: Do most people—not those you are pulling over for a felony stop, but people on the street— react differently to you when Kane is with you?

Jaquez: Kane’s a great ice-breaker. People may be intimidated by the uniform or be uncomfortable walking up to an officer, but many people are interested in the dog.

When I take Kane to schools for demonstrations, I explain that he isn’t mean but he is very strictly trained. Work always comes first for Kane. He’s not at all vicious, but he is very focused on his job.

Patch: The dog that you have at home who is retired—do you think she misses coming to work?

Jaquez: I think she does. I don’t believe working dogs ever want to retire. They are bred to work and they take their job seriously. But she has a very good life at my house.

Patch: Does the Gilroy Police Department ever use Kane without you? Another officer wouldn’t take Kane out if you were not available?

Jaquez: No. Kane is my dog and he takes commands from me only.

Patch: In a dangerous situation, who decides when to use Kane?

Jaquez: The Gilroy Police Department’s policy is the K-9 handler has the final authority on when to deploy a K-9. Obviously, when it comes to protecting any other human being, I would use Kane, but I evaluate each situation first. Kane is a tool, but not one I want to get injured or killed.

Patch: You clearly enjoy being a K-9 handler.

Jaquez: I personally feel it’s the best job in the department.