Vice is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police in their work. Police dogs are often referred to by the term "K9", which is a homophone of "canine", a word that generally refers to dogs and dog-like animals.

PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT "VICE" IS FRIENDLY.
HE IS TRAINED TO CATCH CRIMINALS AND TO SNIFF OUT DRUGS...PLEASE STAY AWAY...PLEASE DO NOT PET HIM....HE WILL THINK YOU ARE A CRIMINAL AND BITE YOU.

Did you know?
In many jurisdictions the intentional injuring or killing of a police dog is a felony,subjecting the perpetrator to harsher penalties than those in the statutes embodied in local animal cruelty laws. A growing number of law-enforcement organizations outfit dogs with bulletproof vests, and some even go so far as to make the dogs sworn officers, with their own police badges and IDs. Furthermore, a police dog killed in the line of duty is often given a full police funeral.

POLICE CANINE FUNCTION...

The mission of the K-9 Unit is quite simple, to detect and deter crime...

There are many ways police service dogs are utilized to fight crime -

• Man Tracking
• Area Search in large fields or woods for hidden suspects
• Building Search for hidden suspects
• Evidence Recovery
• Narcotic Detection
• Physical Apprehension of dangerous criminals
• Emergency Response Team Support

Your Nanticoke Police K-9 Unit serves the community and enhances police patrol functions by utilizing the canine's keen senses and abilities in detecting and apprehending criminals.

DO'S AND DON'TS...

What should and shouldn't you do if you encounter a police dog while on duty?

The most important thing is to allow the handler and dog to do their job; staying out of the way is probably the most helpful thing a citizen can do. Often you may see a handler and his canine tracking a suspect, perhaps even through your own yard. Everyone is curious, but by walking around to get a better look at what's going on just makes the K-9 teams work that much more difficult.

Citizens are justifiably concerned about what is happening when they see police officers in their neighborhood, but trying to stop the handler and his dog to ask questions while they are working is not the best time to do so. If you have important information to pass on, direct it to support officers that are with the K-9 handler.

Do not approach a police K-9 vehicle that is unattended! Trying to get a peek at the police service dog could cause aggressive behavior and could be a danger to you; it is not only unsafe to tease a police dog, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW.

If you should ever find yourself in the RARE situation of having a suspect run by you that is being chased by a police dog, the best thing to do is just stand still; by standing still the dog will not pay as much attention to you.

One last don't... don't try to pet a police dog without permission of the handler. Police dogs are not just another family pet; they are trained law enforcement tools and must be treated with regard for the work they must perform.

1/25/2010

Recently the Nanticoke F.O.E. 834 donated towards necessary vehicle
equipment for the Nanticoke's Police K-9 unit.

Through the Club's generosity the Police Department will be able to maintain appropriate conditions for "Vice".

Pictured left to right, 1st row are: Bob Zaremba, Chief of Police James
Cheshinski, German Shepherd,"Vice", Officer Brian Kivler.
2nd row (back0 Magistrate Donald Whittaker, Gene Ruminski, Francis Grevera, Joe Bargella, Fred David, Mike Havens and NPD Detective Willam Schultz.


Would you be interested in making a donation(s) for safety equipment, food, treats, etc. for our K-9 unit?


If you are, please make donations to:
The City of Nanticoke, In care of c/o The Police K9 Vice.
You may also specify what you would like your donation(s) to be used for.

Special Thanks to:
Greater Nanticoke Area School District- for the purchase of the VICE.
Fraternal Order of Eagles- For the purchase of vehicle equipment.
Rick's One Stop- For outdoor Kennel vehicle installations and window tint.
Lion's Club of Nanticoke - Donations towards a bullet resistant vest.
David John's DVM. (Nanticoke)- Total Veterinary Service and Care
EMJAZE (Nanticoke)- Vehicle & Station Graphics
CPS Direct (Nanticoke)- Printed Materials

Officer Brian Kivler and his new K-9 partner, Vice, of the Nanticoke Police Department. Vice will be used to detect illegal substances and track missing people.
Don Carey/The Times Leader
Select images available for purchase in the
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11/2/2009
Man’s best friend a future crime-fighter
Vice in training to detect illegal drugs
slong@timesleader.com
The city’s newest officer has biting abilities, four legs and a tail.

But don’t let that fool you – Vice, a 20-month-old German Shepherd, is not a warm and cuddly puppy.
The four-legged furry officer arrived Oct. 20 and immediately began training locally with his human partner so that they can work together.
Vice is being put through his paces with his handler, Nanticoke police officer Brian Kivler, to learn to detect illegal drugs, track a lost person, search properties and do routine patrol work.
The dog’s status in the police department is no tall tale, either. He is a full-time officer, with his own badge -- number 9072 1/2. If anyone attempts to harm or kill Vice, they can be prosecuted on a felony charge, Kivler said.
City and school district officials hope Vice will deter drug dealers from entering town and discourage residents from using or purchasing illegal substances.
The Greater Nanticoke Area School District paid $5,500 to purchase the dog for the department, with the understanding that the dog will be brought onto campuses to do occasional locker searches.
The Nanticoke Housing Authority gave the district a $500 check as a contribution toward the K9 unit’s cost, interim executive director and board member Jean Ditzler said. The city is covering Vice’s food costs.
GNA Superintendent Tony Perrone said the district and the police department have a great working relationship and he believes Vice could just be an added deterrent to students thinking about bringing drugs on campus.
“Every school and every community has a need for something like that. … We are going to make sure he is present here at least once a week. Kids will not know when he is coming and we will hopefully be able to keep drugs out of the school,” he said.
Vice and Kivler will not patrol the schools alone. A district or school administrator will accompany the duo. If Vice alerts to a particular area noting drugs might be present, the school official will be able to open lockers so officers can search for any narcotics.
Perrone said he also thinks it’s important for the younger students to be exposed to Vice, adding that he will be serving the community for up to 10 years.
But the department is going to wait until training is fully completed, which might take about two months, before deciding on whether to expose Vice to the district’s younger students, Nanticoke Detective Bill Shultz said.
Kivler said he anticipates that after training Vice could perform demonstrations for the younger students.
He and Shultz emphasize Vice is not being trained to act as a therapy dog, but rather to protect Kivler and track drugs and missing people. The officers want people to know that when they see Vice they should not run up to pet or try to play with him because Vice could interpret that as a threat.
Nanticoke Mayor John Bushko said that Vice, with his superior sense of smell, will be a vital part of police drug busts.
“I think the dog is a big asset. He’ll sniff it out in a minute. It will help make the cops’ job much easier,” Bushko said.
Also, with Nanticoke’s large population of older adults, with three nursing homes inside the city limits, Vice’s ability to track a lost person will come in handy if someone with Alzheimer’s wanders away and becomes lost.