RTD adds two K-9 units to its Transit Police to enhance safety efforts
DENVER (Dec. 4, 2024) –– The Regional Transportation District (RTD) Police Department (RTD-PD) added two new K-9 units to its force Nov. 25 to bolster patrols for customer, employee and community safety. The police dogs’ training spanned 10 weeks working with RTD-PD officers and K-9 handlers Michael Arroyo, paired with Labrador Kylo, and Joe Rodocker, paired with Belgian Malinois Rayne. A third K-9, Koa, a Belgian Malinois, is assigned to officer and handler Keith Cambra, and will join the department Dec. 20, bringing four total K-9 units on the force by yearend. K-9 Milo is already part of the RTD-PD and assigned to officer and K-9 handler Corey Averill. All K-9 handlers were selected from within the RTD-PD ranks and successfully achieved certification for the additional responsibility. The new police dogs each completed a 400-hour certification to work for the agency’s department on Nov. 21.
The K-9 unit additions to the police force is “tremendous for providing RTD with K-9 coverage seven days a week,” Averill said, who hand selected the new dogs given his experience as a K-9 handler for the department.
The agency acquired the additional police dogs through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant and will use the dogs’ specialized skills for a variety of police work including helping to identify potential threats and locate evidence, such as explosives and shell casings, and patrolling facilities and vehicles.
Rodocker, whose K-9 Rayne recently became certified, said “Rayne is obsessed with performing her specialized functions. She enjoys interacting with people, but her priority leaving the patrol car is to carry out work that supports a safe and secure environment for RTD customers.”
Highlighting the police dogs’ keen skills for identifying hazards, when fireworks were set off in training to simulate a real-life situation, Kylo was 20 feet away from the fireworks and “alerting,” Averill said. “He found the smallest piece of paper from the firework, which was incredible.”
Cambra emphasized that caring for very intelligent and well-trained police dogs is a full-time job, even after the shift ends. “It is important to know these K-9s are working dogs and should not be pettedor approached unless approved by the handler,” he noted of the police dogs’ on-duty status.
RTD’s K-9 handlers have been adapting to the high drive K-9s possess that uniquely qualifies them to perform police work that continues even when the officer and dog are off duty. “Adapting to having a high-drive dog such as a Belgian Malinois in my house was no small task,” Rodocker said. “However, it is a blessing to have the ability to bring my shift partner to work and home. K-9 Rayne is becoming a big part of my life.”
“Safety of our customers and employees is a major focus point – it's why we do what we do,” added Arroyo. “We have a vast area to cover, but with the four of us out there day and night, seven days a week, it will be a little easier to help ensure all of us are safer.”
The police dogs will continue weekly training with their handlers throughout their service with RTD to maintain their certifications to work in the field for the agency’s police department.
Rodocker attested to the complexity of working with K-9s. “The amount of training is extensive. Everything a handler does, such as body movement, leash pressure, voice command inflection has a significant impact. Training the dog into recognizing specific odors and conduct search patterns is paramount in ensuring success of a K-9 in this field.”
The K-9 units are joining police patrols across the agency’s 2,342-square-mile district, including transportation hubs such as Denver Union Station, the A Line to the airport and other commuter and rail lines and buses.