KEARNS — "Detect, Detain, Deter", was the motto on a logo St. Francis Xavier Regional School eighth-grader Jacqui Rodriguez designed for the South Jordan Police Department K-9 Unit. The South Jordan Police Department was so impressed with the logo Rodriguez came up with they decided to use her entry as their motto. Rodriguez was presented with a T-shirt from the K-9 unit, and a Certificate of Appreciation recognizing her for her valuable contribution to the South Jordan Police K-9 unit. Rodriguez also received a gift certificate to TSI Outfitters, because she loves outdoor activities. The K-9 unit sponsored a nationwide contest for people of all ages to design a new logo for their T-shirts and sweatshirts. There were 250 entries, and a young man from Illinois won the logo contest. The logo appears on the back of the T-shirts and sweatshirts, and the motto appears on the front. "It was really difficult to choose a winner because there were about 10 logos that were excellent designs," said Sgt. Allen Crist, South Jordan Patrol/K-9 supervisor. "But everybody from the chief to the lieutenant to the officers thought this motto really summed up what we do as K-9 handlers. "Detect, detain, and deter is exactly what we do when we are trying to detect and apprehend a suspect or detect drugs," said Crist. "When we catch suspects, we detain and hold them until we can safely take them into custody. By using these dogs to help us fight crime, we deter crime. There is just no better way to describe what we do." The contest was a fund raiser for the K-9 Unit to raise money to purchase bullet-proof vests for the search dogs. Crist handles Wyatt, a bloodhound, and Officer Darin Watrous handles Neo, a Belgian malinois, which is similar to a German shepherd. "When I am on duty, I wear a bullet-proof vest," said Crist. "But Wyatt and Neo need protection as well because we do not want them getting injured. The dogs are constantly being deployed all over Salt Lake County. Wyatt and I have even gone up to Granger, Wyo., on searches for suspects. "There is quite a demand for us to go after criminals who have fled from crime scenes and are hiding somewhere," said Crist. "Wyatt and I have apprehended attempted homicide suspects and we have also been deployed in the search for lost children. There are varying levels of danger associated with the searches we do. "Wyatt is the one in front, and if a criminal pops up, he is the one who is in danger," said Crist. "I have the weapons to fight back, but he does not. That is why this project is so near and dear to me, I want to protect these dogs. The vest will cover as much of his body as possible. They are a little different from human vests because you have to allow the dog movement to run and jump." Wyatt is used in front to track and find the suspect, and if the suspect is wanted for a serious crime, Neo is used to apprehend the suspect. Crist said the motto is great because the dogs deter the suspects from fleeing their hiding place, and from or being able to harm the officers. The suspects are smart enough to avoid a confrontation with the dogs. The South Jordan Police Department K-9 program has been in existence since 2000. The unit began with Cuffs, a narcotics detector dog. Since then, Cuffs has retired. Crist said Wyatt and Neo are both members of the Wasatch Front Multi Agency K-9 Association. The association is a combined effort between local law enforcement agencies and consists of more than 20 dog teams. When K-9 teams are needed, they are available for searches. As members, the K-9 officers train and deploy throughout the Salt Lake Valley on a weekly basis. "South Jordan’s K-9 unit has been tremendously successful, with numerous suspect apprehensions and hundreds of pounds of dangerous drugs taken off the street," said Crist.
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