Pictured above are Officer Bill Bozeman with partner Duke.

Above, is a 1992 reconditioned Dodge Ram Charger that is specially equipped for the Bloodhound Unit.  The reconditioning of the Ram Charger was done complimentary by Gricco's Auto Body.

Hello Duke!

Pictured above is the latest addition to the Prospect Park Police Departments force, Duke.  Duke is seen in the picture with his handler Officer Bozeman.  Duke is a trained Bloodhound that will assist the officers in tracking down missing persons.  When communities are small in size like that of Prospect Park, its important to utilize all of its resources and share those resources with other departments.  The majority of the police departments within Delaware County use animals for drug enforcement, so the addition of Duke is not only a value to the residents of Prospect Park, he is an asset to all of Delaware County with his ability to track missing people.

In November of 1998 Officer Bozeman rescued Duke and at the age of 5 months, started training Duke in the art of "man-trailing".  Man-trailing is the act of following one specific scent, while disregarding all other scents that are in the area, and track that one scent.  The Bloodhound's extraordinary ability to pick up the scent left behind is second to none.

Duke also is working on "line-ups".  Line-ups are used near the scene of a crime.  A sample of the crime scene can be delivered to the area were the suspect is and Duke will be able, with a sniff of the sample from the crime scene, to walk around a line-up of three to four suspects and identify the individual that was at the crime scene.  The nose of a Bloodhound is so good that evidence found by a Bloodhound will hold up in matters involving the United States Supreme Court.

Duke's main purpose is to find missing people.  He is a non-aggressive K9 and will not attach his quarry.  With Interboro High School, Prospect Park Elementary School, and a retirement community all located within Prospect Park, the potential for a missing person is great within Prospect Park.

For more information about Bloodhounds and Search and Rescue, visit the National Association for Search & Rescue at www.nasar.org., or Law Enforcement Bloodhound Association.

Prospect Park Police Department would like to send a special "Thank You" to Gricco's Auto Body for his assistance is refurbishing the police vehicle that will be used for the Bloodhound Unit.  Without their assistance, this unit would not be possible.  For directions and a phone number to Gricco's Auto Body, click here.