The Storm Lake Police Department announces the addition of a new K-9 officer to the department’s team.
Duke, a year-and-a-half-old Belgian Malinois, was sworn in by Mayor Mike Porsch yesterday (Mon) alongside his handler, Officer Mitchell Fritz.
Duke was born in Holland and was selected at 10 weeks old, especially for police training. He completed his training last month at North Iowa K-9 and is certified as a multi-purpose police dog.
Fritz completed four weeks of training with Duke before the K-9 began duty with Storm Lake Police. “It’s a mutual process – an officer learning the dog, and the dog learning the officer,” Officer Fritz explained. “A bonding period takes about three months to fully develop.”
The K-9 officer will assist in patrol operations, including tracking suspects, searching for narcotics, article recovery, and officer protection. K-9s like Duke play an important role in policing, offering skills and capabilities that enhance safety and efficiency in police work.
“Having a police dog is a real advantage for a department. In narcotics enforcement, a dog’s sense of smell is 40 times greater than that of humans, and a dog can detect narcotics that we couldn’t,” Officer Fritz said. “A K-9 also adds an element of safety. In a dangerous incident, a dog may be able to subdue a subject in a way that avoids having to use potentially deadly force.”
Duke will work all shifts with Officer Fritz, and reside with him when off duty.
Storm Lake’s K-9 program dates back to 1995, and Duke is the ninth K-9 to serve the city. Previous K-9s include Titan (1995-1998), Dando (1996-1998), Samson (1998-2001), Max (2001-2004), Siska (2004-2008), Findy (2008-2011), Cesar (2012-2015), and Ozzy (2019-2024).
The Storm Lake Police Department’s K-9 program is funded entirely through private donations.
“We would like to thank the many individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations whose generous support has made this important program possible,” Chief Chris Cole said.
Duke is scheduled to make his first public appearance at Kid’s Fest this coming Sunday, June 8th in Chautauqua Park.
