MARQUETTE -- They're strong, dedicated, and they stand just below your waist. Meet Frodo and Scud, the Marquette Police Department's newest tools in the fight against drugs.
It cost the department over $30,000 to bring the dogs over from the Netherlands, where they were bred. Earlier this year, the city asked the public for donations to help purchase the K9 units, citing an increase in drug-related crime.
"They do everything from drug detection to tracking, article searches, building searches, area searches, just depends on what you're trying to look for," said Sgt. Marty Munger, a K9 officer paired with Frodo.
Frodo, a Dutch Shepherd, and Scud, a Belgian Malinois, are capable of detecting ecstasy, marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine.
Behind those well-trained noses is a lot of power. The dogs are trained to take down and restrain fleeing suspects. However, the police can only send a dog after someone who's committing a felony.
"You [have to] announce you're a k-9 unit, that you're going to release your dog, they're going to be bit and they're going to get injured," said Todd Collins, a K9 officer and trainer to Scud.
Munger and Collins recently returned from downstate where they spent weeks training with Frodo and Scud.
Collins literally spilled blood and tears for his dream job of becoming a K9 officer after receiving multiple bite wounds from an unruly dog, one that is not associated with Marquette police department.
"It's probably in your best interest to stop, because these dogs, they pack a punch," Collins said. "They might be small, but they bite hard; the pressure is unbelievable, and you just don't want any part of this."
Now that the department has doubled its K9 force, you can expect to see a heavier presence on the streets. The K9 team has begun dayside and midnight patrols in hopes to sniff out crime wherever it hides.
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