Dewey Beach’s newest police officer loves to play ball
Dewey Beach Mayor Bill Stevens administered the oath of office at the Nov. 15 town council meeting to the newest member of the police department, then bent down and scratched the recipient behind the ears.
That drew a tail wag from Odin, a 3-year-old German shepherd who began work three weeks earlier as the police department’s newest K-9.
Odin was led into the monthly meeting on a leash by his handler, Cpl. Dylan Ebke. The German shepherd is trained to use scent to detect illegal drugs and help find missing people.
“We’ll be out and about in town, so feel free to come say hi,” Ebke said.
The police department received a grant last year to buy and train a K-9 named Jasper, but the dog had medical problems that limited his ability to fill a role with the department. Jasper was retired and allowed to remain with Ebke.
The department bought Odin to take Jasper’s position.
Police Chief Constance Speake said Monday that the department spent $12,000, which included the cost of the dog, Odin’s initial training and three weeks of training with Ebke at Tarheel Canine to achieve certification.
Ebke gave a few biographical details about Odin at the council meeting, noting the dog’s birthday is Nov. 25.
“He loves to play ball,” Ebke added. “Ball is life for him. He’ll do anything for ball.”
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
