Sheriff’s office aims to outfit patrol dog

FORT SMITH - The Sebastian County sheriff’s office is reaching out to community members to outfit a 48-pound patrol deputy.

Asi, a 3 ½ -year-old female Belgian Malinois, is one of the department’s two patrol dogs. As members of county law enforcement likely to come into contact with fleeing suspects, sheriff’s office administrators are trying to equip both dogs with protective vests similar to those their human counterparts wear.

“If I chase someone into a house or a business, I know he’s in there, and he could be armed,” said department spokesman Deputy Philip Pevehouse. “If [deputies] show up with a dog, it gives us a better sense of security. I’m going to put that dog in that business or that house, and I don’t want them to get shot any more than I want any of the citizens of this county or my fellow patrol officers to be shot.”

To raise funds for Asi’s vest, which Pevehouse estimates at about $1,500, the sheriff’s office is hosting a donation dinner July 26 at the Cavanaugh United Methodist Church in Fort Smith from 5:30 to 8 p.m. There will be no cost to attend the dinner, which will include hamburgers, hot dogs and other summer barbecue fare; however, donations are requested to purchase the new protective gear.

The Sebastian County sheriff’s office budget for fiscal year 2013 is about $2.96 million, about $1.54 million of which covers salaries for patrol, investigative and administrative officers. Pevehouse said the dogs, which were purchased about three years ago, cost the department about $3,500 apiece.

The sheriff’s office currently has one vest, fitted for Enzo, the department’s other Malinois. Enzo, a male, is nearly twice Asi’s weight, so the vest cannot be shared.

Enzo’s handler, Deputy Ron Decker, said the vest is several years old and should probably be replaced within the next few years as well. The ballistic material in the vests begins to break down after about five years of exposure to sweat and sunlight, Pevehouse said.

Deck said the department plans to purchase a vest for Asi that is rated at least “Level-III.” There are about a half a dozen grades of body armor for humans and dogs, offering a spectrum of protection. Level-III vests will protect the wearer from firearm rounds as large as a 7.62mm NATO round - the sort of round typically fired through an AK-47, and similar to a .308 caliber round often used for large game hunting in North America.

The vests also offer protection against knives and other stabbing instruments.

Pevehouse said the dogs are cross-trained to support drug interdiction, tracking missing persons and fleeing suspects and criminal apprehension.

Bernie Mosley, an instructor at the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in Camden, said that no Arkansas patrol dogs have died as a result of wounds received during criminal apprehensions, although they are occasionally the victims of assault in the line of duty.

Under Arkansas law, it is a Class D felony to intentionally injure or kill an animal used by law enforcement or search and rescue teams.

Arkansas does not currently track the number of patrol dogs in use statewide. Beginning in October, however, Act 168, codified during this year’s legislative session, will require all law enforcement agencies within the state to coordinate record keeping for law enforcement canines with the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.