Alexandria Police Dogs, Officers Honored

Three Alexandria police dogs and their handlers were honored at the United States Police Canine Association Region 3 awards banquet March 22.

Honorees included officer Steve Escobar and Gracie, officer Kyle Russel and Chance and officer Mark Wuckovich and Rocco. They received recognition for achievements earned during Patrol Dog 1 Certification on April 28 – 29, 2012 and Explosive Ordnance Device (EOD) Detector Trials on March 28, 2012.

All three handlers and their K-9 partners received Patrol Dog 1 Certification. Wuckovich and Rocco were awarded with the T. Patrick Cahill Award, which is given to the individual team with the highest score in Obedience and Criminal Apprehension.

Escobar and Gracie, as well as Wuckovich and Rocco, were also named a Region Three Triple Crown, indicating the team is certified in Detection, Patrol Dog 1 and Tracking within a calendar year.

In addition, they earned the following awards. Awards were given for individual teams that competed in the past and a special “novice” category for teams competing for the first time.

• Wuckovich and Rocco: second place overall, third place EOD Detection
• Escobar and Gracie: first place overall – novice, fifth place EOD Detection
• Russel and Chance: second place overall – novice

The police department also entered one team in the team certification. The team was composed of the three officers and their dogs and received first place in team certification.