MARYSVILLE — Police officer Derek Oates and his four-legged partner Ranger have helped track down hundreds of suspects in their five years together.
Oates might be the German shepherd’s handler, but he likes to think many people in and around Marysville share in Ranger’s success.
Ranger and other Marysville police dogs get free vet and chiropractic care. At Vinaccio Coffee, proceeds from a roasted blend support the Marysville Police Department K-9 program. A local woman stops by the station each year to make sure Ranger and Hawkeye, another of the agency’s police dogs, get tennis balls for fetch and that Katy, the department’s black Labrador retriever narcotics dog, has towels to play tug of war.
Lately, Cold Water Boats of Marysville has been building a custom-made cage for Oates’ patrol vehicle. Powder-Fab of Arlington plans to provide a powder-coated finish. The equipment would have cost thousands of dollars otherwise.
Oates said he is grateful for the outside help the department has received over the years for the police dog program. The city pays for the dogs’ food, but much of the equipment and supplies, and even the dogs themselves, are purchased with help from the community.
“Even in a tough economic climate, people have still been giving,” Oates said. “I think the community feels a part of it.”
That’s the way it has been from the beginning of the program in 2001. Contributions and volunteer fundraising has helped pay for protective bite gear used in training, harnesses, leads and other miscellaneous expenses.
Patrol officer Stacey Dreyer was a driving force in the department’s police dog unit. These days, he works with Hawkeye.
Dr. Tim O’Rourke, a veterinarian and member of the Marysville Rotary Club, has been an important part of the program from the start. He continues to provide free medical care, even after moving his practice from Marysville to Mount Vernon.
“He has been the constant giver of all vet care, even after (the dogs) retire,” Oates said.
O’Rourke helped the department buy one of its dogs early on.
“I have a strong belief in the human-animal bond and that police dogs can help make our communities safer,” O’Rourke said.
Oates said help often pours in based on a particular need at a given moment in time.
Recently, Cascade Natural Gas provided the police dog program with a $5,000 grant. It’s paying for special equipment for the department’s police dog vehicles that will allow officers to pop open doors for quicker deployment. The technology also has heat sensors that will notify officers in the field when their vehicles get too hot for the dogs inside. It cracks open windows automatically.
The grant application caught the company’s attention.
“We decided it was a great cause,” said Chandra Marek, Cascade’s Northwest regional director.
Oates had long wanted to be part of the police-dog program. Early in his career, he volunteered to be the quarry in training exercises.
“You learn so much being the bad guy,” he said.
Now he and Ranger pool their skills in tracking down the real bad guys.
“It’s just a big game of hide and seek for him,” Oates said. “He just loves his job.”
Oates is thankful for the opportunity.
“The city is so supportive of the canine program from the mayor down,” Oates said. “I think the community feels more a part of it.”
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
