2009 News Archive
Johns Creek Police starts K-9 unit
Trained Czech police dogs join patrol force
4/8/2009
Officer George Hodge with Nico, one of the two new JCPD K-9 "recruits" from the Czech Republic.
Two new recruits have joined the Johns Creek Police Department and they go by their first names only: Nico and Dano.
Nico and Dano are highly trained police dogs and they, along with their handlers, Cpl. James Zebley and Officer George Hodge, make up the Department's new K-9 Unit, reporting to Lt. Nick Curry in Uniform Patrol.
Both dogs are 2-year-old, titled German Shepherds from the Czech Republic. They began their training as puppies in that country and come from a long line of dogs trained specifically to assist law enforcement personnel in their work.
"Nico and Dano are all-purpose K-9 dogs, which means they can work various aspects of patrol, including tracking, apprehension, narcotics and buildings and article searches," said Curry. "They provide an absolutely crucial service and we're very happy to have them here."
Brought to the U.S. in January of this year, the dogs trained with Zebley and Hodge for five weeks at a top police/military canine school in Virginia, working alongside several military dogs deploying to Iraq.
Nico and Dano arrived in Johns Creek in late March and have been getting used to their new homes since then. They will be sworn into office April 13 and quickly begin their patrol duties.
Prior to joining Johns Creek, Zebley handled a K-9 unit for six years at Kennesaw State University Police. He's used canines to locate hundreds of suspects and large quantities of narcotics and cash. This is Hodge's first tour working with a K-9 unit.
"We enjoy working with Nico and Dano and we look forward to serving the Department and the citizens of Johns Creek to the best of our abilities," said Zebley.