Officer Kuso reports for duty at Burnet Police Department
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
BURNET — A new officer who specializes in finding lost children and seniors as well as sniffing out drugs, has joined the Burnet Police Department.
Officer Kuso, a 2-year-old German shepherd, became a Burnet police officer in early April.
“The K-9 can find drugs that humans won’t be able to,” Chief Paul Nelson said. “He’s cross-trained as a traveling dog that makes traffic runs (and) finds elderly persons who may wander off. He’s certified for building searches. If he has to bite someone, he’s certified in that.”
Kuso’s handler and partner is Officer Mark Edwards, who was selected through an application and interview process. The selection committee consisted of supervisors and other dog handlers.
Since becoming partners, the two are inseparable. Along with being Edwards’ partner on patrol, Kuso also makes his home with the Edwards family. The 72-pound pooch has a diet high in protein and low in fats so he can perform at his best, Edwards said.
As a result, Kuso is very energetic, so it’s important he stays active in order to remain sharp.
City leaders had a wish list of what personality traits they wanted in a canine officer that included being friendly, especially to children (he’ll be a public figure), but also tenacious.
When it was time to select a K-9 officer, department representatives wanted to see the animal in action. One drill involved hiding Kuso’s toy from him in a small wooded area.
“It didn’t take him long (to find the toy),” Edwards said. “He looked excited to be doing it. He loves to work.”
Kuso and Edwards trained together eight hours a day, Monday-Friday, for a month before they went to work. The training wasn’t just about giving commands; Edwards also had to learn about canine psychology.
“When working with a dog, I had to learn to understand what the dog was telling me,” he said.
Since partnering up, Edwards and Kuso have been making the rounds at city and county offices, where Kuso has enjoyed warm welcomes, Edwards said.
“He’s a very friendly dog,” he said. “He likes attention, and he likes people to pet him. He fits in great here.”
Nelson said the area has a drug problem, and he believes Kuso will be a huge tool in addressing it. It gnaws at the chief the number of lives that have been lost to drugs. He reflected on traffic accidents and accidental deaths that have been due to overdoses or operating vehicles while someone was high.
Nelson recalled an accident a couple of months ago in front of the hospital where a “good amount of methamphetamine (was) found in the vehicle.”
Then, there was a double fatality in which one of the drivers was under the influence of meth.
“He died along with the person he hit,” Nelson said.
“Several years ago, we had an accidental overdose of a young man who was 19 years old,” the chief added. “One life we’ve lost is too many. We have a drug issue. We need to face it as a community. It’s what we’re doing. You’re going to see the most production will be (Kuso) helping to fight the drug problem.”
City Manager David Vaughn said the K-9 officer will be a huge contributing community member.
“We are very excited about Officer Kuso joining Burnet Police Department and the impact he will make on our efforts against drugs, both within our community and those that pass through it,” he said.
Nelson said Kuso is available to assist other departments in the area. Those departments simply need to contact the Burnet Police Department.
“The more the dog is used, the better the dog gets,” he said.
Edwards hopes people see Kuso as an asset to the community and the department.
“I want people to know the dog is here to help us, whether that’s searching for the elderly or children or to get drugs off the street,” Edwards said. “I’m glad to have him, and the department and city is thrilled to have him.”