K-9 Unit
Without a doubt, the most popular officers on campus are the dogs of the K-9 unit: Max, Kaila, and Zeke.
The dogs of the K-9 unit serve a variety of functions. They safeguard the student population and our officers, and are instrumental in reducing violent crime. Their job includes handler protection, apprehension, search and rescue, suspect tracking, area and building searches, narcotics detection, and crowd control. They also help “break the ice” between our officers and the community with their approachable nature.
Max was the first dog to join the UMPD, coming to UMass Amherst from Holland during the winter of 2003. Kalia and Zeke joined the force in 2006. Social skills were a high priority in selecting the UMPD dogs. We chose the dogs based on these skills, rather than their aggression, because they are the best traits for successful training. A dog who can interact with large and small groups of people is better equipped to handle situations around crowds when the need arises. Our K-9 handlers, Gerry Perkins (Max), Damian DeWolf (Kaila) and Liana Varosky (Zeke) trained with their dogs in rigorous 12-week instructional classes through the New England K-9 Academy in Hartford, CT.
Max is a mixed-breed—Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepard—and Zeke is a Malinois as well. Both breeds originated in Europe and have become more popular in the past few years as police service dogs. Max is an active dog who loves to be outside. He has a very keen sense of smell and has been trained to detect narcotics. Zeke is the youngest and most active of our dogs. Trained as a dual-purpose canine and certified for patrol functions, Zeke’s strengths are his alertness, work ethic, obedience, loyalty, and intelligence.
Kaila is a chocolate lab. Labradors make excellent police dogs—and service dogs in general—because they are intelligent, with a good work ethic, and a steady temperament. They are also adaptable dogs that are responsive to training and able to perform a wide range of functions. Labs also have an excellent sense of smell. These traits are very evident in Kalia, who is calm and patient, with a strong work ethic, and the ability to work in all types of crowd situations. She is also very skilled at narcotics detection. Kaila loves to play catch, run with other dogs, take walks, and like all Labradors, she’s a great swimmer.
The UMPD K-9 dogs are available to assist other area departments and provide demonstrations for schools, organizations, and clubs. If you are interested in arranging for the dogs to visit and demonstrate their abilities, contact Deputy Chief of Operations Johnny Whitehead or Unit Coordinator Lt. David White.
