Police K-9 Units Train in Rosemount, Among Other Facilities

Police K-9 units from all over the metro area, including Dakota County, have joined forces for training at , and Fleming Field in South St. Paul this week.

One of the world's top police K-9 units has traveled almost 500 miles from Winnipeg to the cities to lead much of the 4-day training.

According to Andy Helgerson of the Eagan Police Department, the training began this past Monday and will go until Thursday. The handlers and their dogs put in 10-hour days with very little down time. Much of what the various police departments have been training in is ‘tracking,’ which is what the K-9 unit from Winnipeg specializes in.

“This is what they do best. They raise their own dogs – they have their own breeding program,” Helgerson said. “Much of what we’re hoping to get from having the trainers [from Winnipeg] here is for information sharing as well as to get a fresh perspective. It’s good to bring in a different dynamic; other departments have a different way of doing things.”

“We’re also trying to better our skills and our dogs’ skills,” he said.

There are three trainers from Winnipeg, as well as eight handlers and about 25 dogs scattered between the three locations.

“It’s a great opportunity for our guys to learn the techniques and tracking,” Flint Hills Construction Manager Harry Wickhorst said. “This is the first time [the trainers from Winnipeg] have ever been here. Andy (Helgerson) set up the whole class on tracking.”

“We are teaching [the dogs] to keep their nose on the ground and pulling along on the track until they find them (the “bad” guys),” Helgerson. “If we don’t train these dogs properly, we won’t be successful.”

The handlers put the scent down on a widespread area (about 200-300 yards), and the dog follows the scent until it finds it (usually in the form of a toy). Then, the dogs receive lots of praise for their good work. However, once the trainers and handlers have used an area, they can’t go back to it.

“Training is difficult. It’s time consuming and labor intensive; there’s a lot that goes into it,” Helgerson said. “Training can also be boring and mundane, so we make sure it’s upbeat and fun for the dogs.”

“And often times the hardest part is not training the dog, it’s training the handler,” he added.

The training was at no cost to the police departments, other than a registration fee. Eagan Police Department was the host agency, and Elko Speedway and the U.S.P.C.A. Region 18 both made donations to the training.

“Training is very important for them – It helps them perform. If they train enough, the reaction is natural,” Wickhorst said.

According to a press release on the K-9 training, “Flint Hills has offered the multi-faceted training grounds at no charge to local, state and federal police as well as to fire, military and government groups for the past 10 years. The training grounds have been recently upgraded to include an obstacle course, K-9 course, and mock duplex and apartment units.”

A training facility in Rosemount with multiple uses

The 750-acre training area at Flint Hills Resources Training Facility has been in use since the mid-90s. According to Wickhorst, it started with a boy scouts explorer group that worked closely with the Rosemount Police Department and flourished from there.

“We made everything in here to be used by either police and/or fire departments,” Wickhorst said. “We also brought in other stuff for confined space rescue and trench rescue. There’s a lot that goes into it…moving everything into place for whichever department comes in.”

The space at Flint Hills is used almost daily, according to Wickhorst, and he said fire departments and K-9 units are there the most.

Flint Hills pays for the utilities and taxes on the building as well as any major upkeep. However, the rest is up to Wickhorst.

“I provide snacks, water, pop, coffee,” Wickhorst said.

He also has purchased gym equipment for the space as well as maintenance equipment, such as a lawn mower and chainsaw.

“There’s an expense to it, but not a terrible expense,” he said. “It’s a good hobby for me, and it saves them (the departments) money to not have to travel to Camp Ripley or Fort Dodge.”