K9 cop Flint used twice in one night, tracks one suspect after incident in local store

By Medicine Hat News on December 6, 2019.

Medicine Hat Police Service K9 Flint had a busy Wednesday night tracking two suspects, one of which was successful.

First, the dog successfully tracked down an individual who had allegedly damaged property at a convenience store.

“A male went into the store on Seventh Street. The store was open and he was upset they wouldn’t let him use the phone, so he smashed it and then was quite volatile in the store,” said Insp. Brent Secondiak.

He says it took Flint about an hour to track down the suspect.

“It was quite a ways away, from what I recall,” said Secondiak.

Next, an individual drove away from a check stop on S. Railway Street’s 600 block after getting breathalyzed.

“He fled in his vehicle from patrols and they found the vehicle a short time later on the southeast Hill,” Secondiak explained. “Flint was used to track from that vehicle to see if we could find the driver, but the track was not successful.”

He says the success of a K9 track depends largely on whether a scent can be successfully “contained,” which depends on factors such as distance, the surface the canine travels on, how crowded an area is and whether there are many vehicles in the vicinity.

“We can use them for just about any offence and the dog tracks to the suspect. Very infrequently are they used for contact or to apprehend,” said Secondiak.

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