Police knew the man they were searching for was hiding in the attic of a local home, but he remained quiet and refused to come out, despite a houseful of armed deputies waiting below.
The man changed his mind when officers called for reinforcement.
‘It wasn’t safe to send anyone up,? said Deputy Lonnie Mullins of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Canine Unit. ‘They didn’t know if guy had gun, or what.?
So the call went out for Mullins and his four-legged partner, Boomer.
With the 80-pound German Shepard on a stepladder leading to the attic, Mullins issued a stern warning: Sheriff’s Department Canine Unit, come out or I’m going to send up my dog!
‘I only had to say it one time,? said Mullins, a contract deputy with the Independence Township substation. ‘Once I said that, and Boomer started barking, the guy knew I wasn’t screwing around. As soon as he heard the dog he was like, ‘I give up, I give up, I’m coming.??
As the newest addition to the 14-member Canine Unit, Mullins and two-and-a-half-year-old Boomer spent the last year getting to know one another, forming a bond and becoming crime-fighting cohorts who drive area streets during the darkest hours.
‘Working midnights gives me the opportunity to go out looking for bad guys,? said Mullins, noting that he’s a hunter and loves the outdoors, so the job suits him well. ‘If you’re out at three in the morning you’re either on your way to work, or you’re a bad guy.?
Mullins, who’s been a with OSCO about 18 years, came to work in Independence Township in 1999 and spent five-years as a member of the substaion’s detective bureau.
But, he said, when an opportunity to join the Canine Unit appeared, he was ready.
‘It was time for a change,? Mullins said, ‘and that’s the beautiful thing about this department. There are so many different places we can go.?
Mullins and Boomer attended a five-week training at the Oakland Police Academy, where they began working on tracking, bite work, and learning to read one another.
‘Every dog has different body language,? said Mullins. ‘They all do things a little differently.?
Boomer was 14 months old, with his training already started, when he came to live with Mullins and his family.
Now, a little over a year later, Boomer is certified to track narcotics’cocaine marijuana, heroin, meth and crack. Before long, he’ll certify in obedience and handler protection, as well as building, article and area searches.
Nevertheless, there’s still some growing ‘He’s still a puppy,? said Mullins, noting Boomer won’t be considered mature until he’s about three or three and a half years old. ‘But you can tell this dog is different from when I got him in May last year. He’s much more protective of me, for one thing. He’s becoming the alpha dog he’s bred to be.?
Although Boomer, as a rule, won’t take orders from anyone but Dad, he is willing to make exceptions for a select few.
‘He listens to my wife,? said Mullins, who’s wife Dawn is an OCSO deputy out of Springfield Township, ‘and he listens to my kids.?
Indeed, the German Shepard who can drive a bad guy out of hiding with nothing more than a bark’and maybe the glint of his sharp white teeth’is only too happy to oblige the couple’s toddling daughter.
‘She’ll carry his food bowl into the kitchen and say ‘Boomer sit,?? Mullins explained. ‘He sits, she puts the food on the floor, and he gets it.?
The childlike similarities, he said, are fun to observe.
‘They’re both two, and their attitudes are a lot alike,? he said. ‘She’s into everything, he’s into everything.?
Although Boomer is still a puppy and loves to play, he also knows that when the brown Oakland County deputy’s uniform comes out of the closet, it’s time to go to work.
Comprised of?2 bomb dogs, an arson dog and?11 all-purpose dogs trained in tracking, property recovery, handler protection, and narcotic detection, the Canine Unit typically responds to over 1,000 calls each year and is available to any police agency in the county who requests help.
Each applicant must have a minimum of three years seniority in the department, including at least one year in patrol services.
?(Mullins) was a good patrolman, he’s an experienced investigator, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders,? said Lt. Dale LaBair, commander of the Independence Township substation. ‘His dog is coming along well; they’re doing good work, finding stuff and making good catches.?
Once the five-week Police Academy training is complete, the deputy is issued a specially equipped police vehicle with amenities like a non-tipping water bowl and sensors to activate cooling fans when the vehicle becomes too hot.
But the training doesn’t stop after those first five weeks are over. Deputies work individually with their dogs every day, usually for at least an hour.
Then, every Wednesday the 14-member unit meets at Independence Oaks and trains together in a special 2.5 acre area donated by the Oakland County Parks.
‘This team has a unique relationship,? said Joe Lamborn, who heads up the unit.’They complement one another well, they look out for one another and they train hard. They’ve bonded and come together as a group, and we’re proud of them.?
It’s important, Lamborn said, to maintain control of the dog at all times, especially during a dangerous police encounter. The intenese, ongoing training ensures the dog will perform well in a high-stress situation.
‘We do a lot of group training on obedience,? said Lamborn, noting the dogs aren’t even allowed to make eye contact with the other canines. ‘We correct the dog to make sure the dog is paying attention the handler, not the dog doing what he wants to do.?