“The dogs are not in danger; we don’t put them into situations where they’d be in danger.”
Also known as Super Cooper and B-Dog, they are both 4 years old and work in concert with their two handlers, police officers Kyle Alltop and Troy Crawford, to keep dangerous drugs off Prescott-area streets.
“They’re called ‘single purpose’ police dogs and are trained to detect methamphetamines, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine,” said Sergeant Jack Shapiro. “The dogs are not in danger; we don’t put them into situations where they’d be in danger. Usually, the suspect is out of the way before they’re brought in to detect.”
By all accounts, Prescott loves its two helpful canines. “The community is very supportive of the dogs,” he said. “We have quite a turnout for the Citizen Academy that we have a couple of times a year. They are always thrilled to learn about our dogs, and they are absolutely allowed to pet them.”
Officer Alltop partners with Cooper, and Officer Crawford with Benny. The dogs work four 10-hour shifts and become part of their handler’s family, usually sleeping in special temperature-controlled kennels in the patrol vehicles.
Both officers have been with the K-9 Team for about three years. Officer Alltop has had a lengthy military career working with dogs. “Cooper is a great partner, and he works hard,” Alltop said. “Cooper loves to swim and be a dog when he is not working.”
Occasionally, Cooper and Benny even go on family vacations. “They have time off when the officer does,” said Shapiro. “Sometimes I’ll watch some of the dogs and every once in a while, they have to be boarded, but not often.”
Because they are not in apparent danger, there is no need to buy safety equipment for them to wear, but funding is lacking for some other essential items. Although yearly grants, such as those from the Arizona Community Foundation of Yavapai County, fund the purchase of the dogs, construction of training facilities, and medical expenses, there are no funds for basic items like food and training gear.
Sandy Haffner, owner of Preskitt’s Pawz N Clawz pet store on Gail Gardner Way in Prescott, was moved to action when she learned of this gap in funding. Helping the police K-9 drug-sniffing dogs become her passion when she opened her store in December 2020. She began offering free baths for the Prescott police dogs using the two tubs and showers in the self-service dog bath at her business.
Pawz N Clawz also provides food for the dogs. In addition, the store also sells police merchandize to benefit the care of the dogs, including police badges and T-shirts, and will soon be stocking plush toy versions of Cooper and Benny, complete with police vests and badges.
To train police dogs and handlers, the Prescott Police Department maintains a training yard, just past Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, on Heritage Park Road.
“We’re still trying to create our training facility,” Shapiro said. “We’re getting a shed built out there for shelter when it’s hot or raining. The main thing we need is to upgrade our training aids with artificial turf and obstacles for them to go through. We can build a wall where we can hide specific scents for finding.”
Shapiro says the drug detection program has been very successful. “They [the dogs] are very good at finding drugs and getting drugs off the streets. They are good tempered, Labradors, and they’re always happy.”
The Prescott Police Foundation accepts donations for Cooper and Benny. QCBN
By Betsey Bruner, QCBN
Courtesy Photo: Cooper enjoys some downtime with his handler at the beach.
