Protect and Serve
Kendall Murphy, K-9 officer
A six-year veteran of the Wilmington Police Department, Murphy became interested in joining the K-9 unit after watching the dogs in action.
She observed their training sessions for a while before applying last year to a rare opening in the unit.
“I really love animals and especially dogs,” she says.
DIABLO came to the department through a broker in Florida, but the three-year-old German Shepherd was bred in Germany where most of the unit’s dogs originate, Murphy says.
His training in obedience began there, but job-specific training was done at the Wilmington Police Department, with the dog and Murphy as a team. He’s trained to detect drugs, track people, and much more.
Murphy and Diablo trained together for three months during which they learned about twenty voice commands in Dutch and numerous hand signals that are used in SWAT situations.
The dog loves his work, Murphy says.
“It’s awesome to see what they’re capable of doing,” she says. “He can find the smallest amount of drugs. He’s beginning to track people.”
When people walk, they leave a track of disturbed vegetation and human scent – “You leave behind skin cells and sweat,” Murphy says. “Every time you step on something, it creates a scent that we can’t smell, but they can smell.”
A fleeing suspect leaves a fear scent, which the dog can detect.
A criminal justice graduate of University of North Carolina Wilmington, Murphy calls the K-9 job the best in the department.
When the dog retires at seven or eight years of age, he’ll go home with Murphy “to be a pet dog laying around the house,” she says laughing. “I love working with him. He’s very social. He likes to play, but he’s really serious about work.”
To view more of photographer Will Page's work, go to www.willpagephoto.com
