Stories From K-9 Nox, Oak Creek Police's Next Retiree

OAK CREEK, WI— An eight-year veteran of the Oak Creek Police Department is retiring next week, but this retiree isn't human. He's Nox, one of Oak Creek Police's longtime K-9 units.

The Oak Creek Common Council read a proclamation at its meeting Tuesday, making Nox's retirement official. His last day will be June 25. After that, Nox is considered "honorably discharged" and will be done with his police work.

Police dogs like Nox have become a regular facet of how communities are policed across the United States. For Oak Creek, Nox was a routine part of tracking people down — whether they want to be found or not, as well as traffic stops and drug busts, Nox's handler said.

Nox's handler, Police Officer Dawn Hanizeski, has worked and lived with Nox for the extent of his career in Oak Creek. Hanizeski went out for police dog training in 2013 and came back with Nox a month later, though she has been a dog owner for most of her life, she said.

Overall, Nox has tracked over 50 people in his time, including finding suspects or searching for missing people, and has helped make hundreds of criminal arrests, Hanizeski said.

According to Hanizeski, Nox is similar to other dogs in some ways, but he's a working dog first.

He was trained ever since he was young to use his sense of smell to aid police. That sense of smell and training has led him to be one of the "best" police dogs in all of Wisconsin — Nox and Officer Hanizeski won The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handler Association K-9 Track of the Year award in 2019 and the Narcotics Challenge Camp in 2017, according to Nox's retirement proclamation.

What sets police dogs like Nox apart from most pet dogs is their level of intensity and drive to work, Hanizeski said. Nox does relax when he's not on a shift, but doing the job that he was trained for is what makes him most happy, Hanizeski said.

One particularly memorable occasion from Officer Hanizeski's career with Nox was a traffic stop for speeding. Hanizeski had decided to remove the person from their car after realizing their driver's license was not real. The person suddenly yanked Hanizeski into the car, started to drive away and then eventually stepped out of the car to run.

Following the altercation, the man ran into the nearby woods, so police sent out Nox, who managed to bite and catch the suspect, Hanizeski said.

On another occasion in 2018, Hanizeski and Nox were honored for another arrest of a robbery suspect. The suspect had ran into a crowded parking lot, successfully evading police until Nox came and managed to track him through the commotion.

Over his career, Nox has helped discover tens of thousands of dollars worth in narcotics, his retirement proclamation said.

As Nox approaches the final days of his tour with the Oak Creek Police department, Hanizeski has been sure to reward him, she said. Each day of the countdown, Nox has been met with treats and on his final day, the department will celebrate with a doggy cake, Hanizeski said.

"After that, he's going to get to just hang out and be a dog," Hanizeski said.