Cliff likely is the only
officer who will fling
drool on his Kevlar
vest.
The German boxer
starting next week will
don an extra-large size
armored vest when he
goes into the field for
the La Crosse County
Sheriff’s Department.
“We consider Cliff an
officer, and we want to
do our best to protect
him,” said sheriff’s
Capt. Mike Horstman.
The black and sturdy
5-pound vest is both
bullet- and stab-proof,
and will give Cliff a
layer of protection,
said handler Deputy
Brandon Stoughtenger.
The $840 vest was
donated to Cliff through
the Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog
program, a nonprofit
organization that aims
to vest each law
enforcement dog in the
state, said President
Donna Morgan.
Since it was founded in
2005, the organization
has provided 53 dogs
with vests, she said.
Cliff’s vest donor is
Michael Hartman, a UW
Hospital doctor who
learned of the
Vest-A-Dog program after
a fatal crash in his
area Dec. 18.
The girl killed,
16-year-old Carly Batz,
had a passion for German
shepherds, so staff at
her mother’s
veterinarian clinic near
Madison collected money
for the Vest-A-Dog
program in her memory,
Morgan said. Hartman
knew a vet at the clinic
and donated the funds
for Cliff.
The teen’s family,
Hartman and Cliff will
meet in the near future,
Morgan said.
Cliff in mid-September
became the department’s
first K-9 and was
donated by George Markos
and Cathy Hubert-Markos
of Bachbett Kennels in
Mindoro.
Cliff is trained in
narcotics detection,
evidence recovery and
tracking people.
Not
doggin’ it
Since
October, Cliff has ...
- been on duty 102 days
and used 141 times
- done tracking 14 times
and led to the arrest of
40 people
- spent 36 hours at
community events
Cliff
has found ...
- 606 grams of marijuana
- 308 items of drug
paraphernalia
- 96 Ecstasy pills
- 46 grams of
methamphetamine
- Six items of evidence
- Trace amounts of
cocaine and heroin
ON THE WEB
Go online to
www.wivestadog.org
to learn more about the
Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog
program. Contact
organization President
Donna Morgan at (608)
752-3539 if interested
in volunteering for the
program.
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The La Crossse County Sheriff's Department has a new K-9 Deputy. The K-9 is Cliff von Grand Kevin, who is commonly referred to as "Cliff". Cliff is a purebred German Boxer owned by George Markos and Cathy Hubert-Markos of the Bachbett Kennels in Mindoro. |
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| Cliff will be leased long term from the Bachbett Kennels and will be assigned as the partner of Deputy Brandon Stoughtenger, a 6 year veteran of the Sheriff's Department. |
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| Cliff will be used for narcotic detection work as well as tracking and evidence recovery. Cliff has won awards for his superior tracking ability and he will be very beneficial in tracking missing persons such as children and endangered adults. In addition, Cliff will be used to track suspects and criminals. |
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We would like to thank:
They have all helped to offset costs associated with our K-9 addition. Minimal funding was provided through the Sheriff's Department budget. |
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