Last month, the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handler's Association (WLECHA) recognized 2 MPD K9 teams at its 2012 conference held in Fond du Lac.

Officer Jim Donnell, who partners with K9 Johnny, was the recipient of the 2012 K9 Handler of the Year award.

Officer Carren Corcoran and K9 Slim received the 2012 Meritorious K9 Track of the Year award.

Officer Donnell has been a MPD K9 handler since 2005, and he and Johnny are the department's senior K9 team. Officer Donnell is a leader of the MPD's K9 unit, a WLECHA board member, and is known for his positive attitude and strong work ethic. This past year he and Johnny helped cover K9 calls for two other MPD canines, both of whom were off-duty for medical reasons.

"Jim and Johnny" responded to 249 K9 calls between August 2011 and August 2012. These are in addition to patrol calls and work doing traffic enforcement. Here is a breakdown of the K9 calls:

• 112 narcotics detections
• 14 apprehension requests
• 26 building clears
• 7 evidence searches
• 32 outside cover (suspect containment)
• 45 tracks (suspects and lost persons)
• 13 Community Demonstrations

The K9 calls resulted in the recovery of:

• 31.5 pounds of Marijuana
• 42 grams of Cocaine base
• 4 grams of Cocaine
• 14.7 grams of Heroin
• 1.8 grams of Meth
• $16,716.00 in US Currency
• 9 weapons, including handguns, long guns and an assault rifle.
• 1 vehicle

The team was also instrumental in at least 18 felony arrests.

The track for which Officer Corcoran and K9 Slim were recognized involved an amazing 3.8 mile journey on the night of Rhythm & Booms as the team followed the scent of a homicide suspect through areas where tens of thousands had gathered. The track was the subject of an earlier MPD Incident Report:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/incidentReports/incidentDetail.cfm?id=13445