On a gray afternoon in Marysville, Officer Derek Oates and K-9 Copper load up in the car and head for the Arlington Municipal Airport. They’re not getting ready to fly, they’re getting ready to search.
It’s almost 4 p.m. The airport hangar is a big open field, empty aside from a few parked planes nearby. It is the perfect spot to search large areas of trees and brush. A K-9 from the Monroe Police Department, Tango, and his handler are there too, along with a K-9 from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department, Ronin, and his handler. The Marysville K-9 Unit works with other departments in the area to learn and support each other in K-9 training.
Copper is the first up to put his skills to the test, searching for another officer hiding somewhere in the area. He quickly puts his nose to the ground and starts running, wagging his tail and sniffing his way through the vast field. The other officers follow behind him, running and jumping over bushes. In less than 10 minutes, Copper makes his way to the other side of the field and makes his way through the trees to find his target, jumping up and down with excitement. He’s rewarded with his favorite chew toy, in the shape of a stick, and plays tug-of-war with the officers as they make their way back to the pod of patrol cars on the other side.
Tango gets ready for his turn to search, but a voice over the radio puts everything on pause. The Monroe officer stops to listen, hearing that there is a search underway for a car theft suspect in the area of Kelsey Street and Elizabeth Street. “Tango, load up!” he says, and within seconds the two are on the road.
Soon after, another call comes in over the Snohomish County officer’s radio for a reported domestic violence situation. Ronin and his human partner load up and make their way out of the airport hangar.
Around 4:20 pm, Officer Oates and Copper make their way back to the Marysville Police Department to drop off another officer and start their evening patrol. Copper is laying down in his spot in the back as Officer Oates drives through the area, on alert for when their services might be needed.
There’s a reported disturbance in a Marysville neighborhood, and the pair are en route. Once they reach the address, Officer Oates gets out of the car to speak with the parties involved. Copper waits in the backseat, his gaze laser-focused out the car window, anxious to get out and work. Several minutes go by, and Copper slowly starts to relax. Officer Oates gets a handle on the situation, and it’s resolved after speaking with both parties. It’s been established that everything is okay, and Officer Oates brings the group he’s speaking with back to his patrol car to meet Copper.
The door swings open and Copper is up and ready to say hi, wagging his tail and absorbing all of the attention and pets from the group. After answering a few questions about Copper, Officer Oates grabs some special stickers of Copper from the trunk and gives them out. A few minutes later, they’re back on the road and ready for the next call.
Only a few minutes go by before another comes through, a domestic violence situation at a mobile home park. When Officer Oates and Copper arrive, an ambulance is already on the scene as well as another Marysville officer. Officer Oates gets out of the car to assess the situation. Copper anxiously waits in the backseat, pacing and excited about possibly getting out for an assignment. After several minutes, Officer Oates returns to the car and explains that this was a mental health situation and the person has been involuntarily hospitalized for treatment. The two are soon back on the road, waiting for the next call.
The sun has gone down, and the rain starts to pour. Copper stays warm and dry in the back of the patrol car, peeking into the front every few minutes to check on his handler. Just after 7 pm, a call comes through about a reported theft at a nearby business. The pair is close to the location and starts heading that direction. They arrive to find another officer on the scene speaking to someone involved. The two men involved reportedly went into the business to get out of the rain, and one of them started stealing merchandise. The situation was quickly resolved.
Just after 8 pm, Officer Oates and Copper get ready to wrap up the workday, driving back to the Marysville Police Department. Copper was disappointed it was a relatively quiet day on the job, and that he wasn’t able to do much work today after training, but it’s a positive thing when your services aren’t needed because the city is safe.