K-9s in the community: Sgt. Wickert & Thor

Sgt. Steven Wickert, Maryville Police Department (MPD) and his K-9 partner, Thor, a Belgian Malinois, have an unshakeable bond. They have worked together for approximately eight years and Wickert says Thor has exactly the right temperament for the job with a work dedication that is unmatched.

Sgt. Wickert knew he wanted to be a K-9 handler early on. Just a few years into the force, he decided to go through the steps to become a handler, which was no easy feat.

If an officer is interested in becoming a handler, first, they must be tactically sound and in good standing with the department, said Wickert. They sign up to show interest, then there is an interview process with the chief and current or past handlers.

If the officer moves past the interview process, then they ride along for a week or two with a current handler. This gives them the opportunity to see what it is like to partner with a K-9, which for some officers, can be a big culture shock, according to Wickert.

“Now you are responsible for not only yourself, you’re responsible for the dog and all the liability that goes into it,” he said.

Once the officer is selected to become a K-9 handler, they will enter into a six to eight week training program where they will learn how to handle and interact with the K-9.

The most important outcome of this training, says Wickert, is the bond between handler and dog. “Once you have that bond and start to train, everything just kind of comes together,” said Wickert.

In other police departments, the dog’s initial training may be done in-house but in MPD’s case, the dogs come to them already trained by a master trainer. Thor came to Wickert with the tools he needed to begin work.

MPD provides continual maintenance training for their K-9s. Wickert says the K-9 handlers are required to provide a minimum of 16 hours a month in maintenance training but he and Thor engage in training every day through short sessions.

Wickert said working together with Thor to apprehend suspects, keep drugs off the street and locating missing persons have all been highlights of his partnership with Thor.

“That right there makes everything worth it because it is a hard job,” he said.

All six of MPD’s K-9s are dual-purpose — meaning they are trained in apprehension as well as narcotic location. Apprehension could mean assisting with an arrest when a suspect is fleeing, but it could also mean tracking down a missing person.

Thor has helped on two occasions to locate missing persons.

Wickert says Thor’s favorite job is tracking. When Thor was young, it was hard for him to concentrate all of that puppy energy and focus but now that Thor has patience and experience, it is one of his favorite jobs to perform.

To reinforce positive behavior during training, Wickert offers Thor rewards. Thor’s favorite incentive is his rope tug toy which he is rewarded with whenever he successfully locates the narcotic.

Just like humans are creatures of routine, so is Thor, who Wickert says knows it’s time to work when Wickert starts to put on his uniform and gear.

It’s like a light switch, says Wickert, and when Thor knows they are about to go to work, he is the ultimate hype-man.

At the end of a shift, during the ride home, Thor recognizes landmarks that signal to him they are on the way home, and after a little bit of whining, goes into relaxation mode.

“When he’s in the car and he knows he’s working, it’s all business.” When he gets home, though, just like any human, he likes to relax and play with the family,” said Wickert.

Wickert says the average working years for a K-9 are eight to nine years, depending on the dog’s health, genetics and nature of their tasks.

The transition to retirement can be just as hard on the K-9 as it is on the officer. When they have such a long partnership together, it can be a major adjustment when it is time for the dog to step down.

When it’s time for Thor’s retirement, he will spend his golden years with Wickert and his family.

“He’s been a knucklehead sometimes but I love him,” said Wickert, “he’s a part of the family.”

Wickert says his favorite part of his long partnership with Thor is the difference they have made in the community.

“It might be small, little pieces at a time, but at the end I think we’ve made a big difference whether it’s getting the bad guys off of the street or the narcotics off of the street. That’s why I got into this job,” said Wickert.