Local trooper graduates from drug-detecting canine school

From Staff Reports

CUMBERLAND — Maryland State Police Tfc. David Yates recently graduated from the 2009 MSP Fall Controlled Dangerous Substance Detection Canine School.

Beginning his career with Maryland State Police as a cadet, Yates and his 18-month-old German shepherd, Crocket, are assigned to the Cumberland barrack. The Mid-Atlantic Rescue Shelter donated Crocket to the state police.

The 14-week school consisted of intensive training for the handler and the dog in drug recognition for seven different drugs; basic obedience; agility; search patterns for drugs to include vehicles, buildings and rooms; case law; conducting searches for warrants; and massive raids.

The Maryland State Police K-9 Unit maintains patrol canines, drug detection canines, evidence canines, recovery canines and bloodhounds. In addition to its normal duties, the K-9 Unit assists in training throughout Maryland in search management and overseas search and rescue for both missing individuals and aircrafts. The MSP K-9 Unit coordinates search and rescue assets within the state to include volunteer air scent dog teams, ground search teams and equestrian teams as well as the Civil Air Patrol and the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

Over the past year, the MSP K-9 Unit has hosted two CDS schools, two explosive detection dog schools and one bloodhound school.

In 2008, the MSP K-9 Unit responded to 3,922 calls for service, conducted 2,105 building checks, assisted other tropers with their dogs 2,327 times, and nearly 300 individuals were arrested or located as a result of the unit’s efforts.

In addition, the MSP K-9 Unit seized $545,000 in 2008, giving the unit a total of more than $7 million seized since 2005.

Yates and Crocket will be providing continual support to the Cumberland barrack where troopers in 2009 made more than 16,000 traffic stops, arrested more than 500 individuals, served nearly 300 warrants, initiated nearly 1,000 criminal investigations and originated more than 13,000 incidents.

The trooper/K-9 team will provide support to allied agencies in addition to visiting schools and special events.

A 12-year veteran with the Maryland State Police, Yates resides in Frostburg with his wife, Kara, and their two children.

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