Wheat Ridge police training dog walkers to be better witnesses

Wheat Ridge police want people out with their dogs to pull double duty. That means while walking your dog or exercising in the Colorado community, why not watch for crime as well?

Sitting front row for a Wheat Ridge Police Department's dog walker watch class this month was Lin Browning, her dog Lucy with her, in a way.

"She is seven," Browning said holding up a cellphone photo.

Browning jumped at the opportunity to be in the training -- first as a dog lover and as a new member of the town located in Jefferson County on the western side of the Denver metro area.

"I thought it would be a good way for me to know the types of things I should be calling in about. There are things I've seen and I'm not always sure if that's the right thing to call in," she said.

Wheat Ridge police saw an opportunity there.

"People who are walking their dogs are in a position to be very vigilant for vehicle break-ins, people casing houses for burglaries," Officer Marc Fisher said.

That prompted their annual dog walker watch class -- and their best chance to build the best witnesses possible.

"Our hallmark mission in our police department is relationship-based policing: actively engaged in fostering and building relationships with the community," Fisher said.

While no pups were allowed, those sitting in on the class got a rundown on what police really need to know when reporting a crime. They were tested on a scripted situation involving a hypothetical law enforcement scenario and listened to audio from a witness from a recent 911 call.

The hope is each one will walk away with a better understanding of what information can make or break an investigation.

"I think my big takeaway is 'Yes, they are busy, but they are never too busy to take your call.' I wrote that down and put a star by it," Browning said.