Two K-9s added to state parks enforcement

From the moment Natural Resources Police Cpl. John Lister saw 3-year-old Vos at a kennel, he knew they were destined to be partners. 

In early August, Lister was part of a contingent from Delaware that traveled to Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Ind., to select seven dogs for Delaware State Police, Natural Resources Police and Newark Police.

The state parks division was the only arm of Natural Resources Police without a K-9. The Environmental Crimes Unit has one dog, which recently assisted in the apprehension of a wanted person in a state park, and the Division of Fish and Wildlife has two dogs, each specializing in search and rescue and wildlife detection. 

Vos is one of two dogs that will join the enforcement team for Delaware State Parks. Lister is based at Cape Henlopen State Park, and once K-9 training is complete, Vos will join him on daily patrols. Natural Resources Police officer Trevor Ditmore will handle the other dog, Leo, primarily at Lums Pond State Park. Their primary purpose will be tracking, such as lost or missing persons, and community outreach. Vos will also receive specialty training in narcotics detection.

The initial startup cost for the K-9s is about $20,000. That does not include new vehicles for Lister and Ditmore, which will be provided through the state’s lease program. Annual K-9 costs are expected to be much lower. 

This will be Lister’s first experience with a K-9 police dog. 

“This is something I’ve wanted to do my entire career,” said the 8-year veteran of the force. “I think it’s going to add an interesting layer to my life. It’s not something a lot of people get to experience. I hope it will enrich my career.”

Lister, Vos and the other dogs and handlers will begin training Sept. 10 with Delaware State Police. The state is providing training free of cost. 

The dogs are considered green, meaning they’ve received no training up to this point. 

“We’re going to be doing the entire training, from obedience to scent tracking all the way up to narcotics training,” Lister said.

The dogs are expected to graduate in December with patrol certification. They will be proficient in human scent tracking, allowing them to find lost or missing persons, plus suspect apprehension and evidence tracking.

Training for Vos will continue in fall 2019, when he will work toward his specialty of narcotics detection. Leo will be certified in explosives detection; his specialty training will begin almost immediately following graduation in December. 

Delaware State Parks Director Ray Bivens said explosives detection is valuable upstate because of large events, such as races and sporting events. Lister said drug detection is needed downstate, as there were 152 drug arrests in Kent and Sussex state parks in 2016, the most recent statistics available. Lister was personally involved in a drug bust last summer involving cocaine and a loaded gun. In that incident in Cape Henlopen State Park, the suspect attempted to flee before being apprehended. 

Bivens said narcotics detection is not the primary purpose of the dog.

“But it’s a nice secondary resource to have,” he said. 

“We envisioned using the unit to bridge a gap to local communities to help get them out and engaged in natural resources and open spaces,” Lister said. “We’ll just start our normal patrol unless we’re called to something that Vos would be specifically needed for.” 

Lister said he and Vos will be available to patrol all state parks in Kent and Sussex counties.

“He’s my partner full time,” Lister said. “He’s going to be with me 24/7. I’ll spend more time with him than my coworkers, my girlfriend and anyone else in my family.”  

The dogs will not be exclusively used for police work, as they will also serve in community outreach programs. Bivens said each dog will be required to participate in 40 interpretive- or education-type programs.

“Our camps are a natural fit,” Bivens said. “We knew it would be a great opportunity for our rangers to connect with families and kids in our parks.”

Community outreach was on their minds as they went through the process of selecting dogs.

“We were looking for dogs that had a very good demeanor that would be social around people … just that willingness to have a human interaction,” Lister said. 

Since coming home from Indiana a few weeks ago, Lister and Vos have been getting to know each other at home.

“My instructions are just to be his friend, bond with him and let him be a dog,” Lister said. “I took a week-and-a-half vacation just to spend time with him and to help him with acclimation.”

Two groups have already donated to supplement the cost of the K-9s. The Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park offered a donation of $2,500, while the Blue Heron Agility Association of Delaware donated $2,000 toward ballistic vests for each dog. 

Stu Schmidt, president of Friends, said the group did not have any major contributions lined up this year, so they agreed to donate to the program. He said it is his personal goal to continue supporting the K-9s in the future.

“My goal is to have an event just for this fund to keep continuous money flowing to the K-9 because maintenance and care for the dog can get up into the thousands of dollars each year,” he said.

Bivens added that a GoFundMe campaign has been established to support the program. Anyone interested in donating can go to www.gofundme.com/support-new-de-state-park-k9039s, or donations can be sent directly to Delaware Community Foundation, c/o Delaware State Parks Fund, P.O. Box 1636, Wilmington, DE 19899. 

Bivens said they are moving forward with the K-9 program regardless if they hit the $4,500 fundraising goal in the GoFundMe campaign.

“Delaware State Parks generates between 65 percent to 70 percent of our operating budget from our revenues, which is very unusual in state government,” he said. “As far as the donations go, they will supplement our special funds.”