K9 Jack visits Weatherford Noon Lions

WEATHERFORD — K9 Jack may technically be a member of the “bad boys,” but for the last five years, he’s shown why he’s the best boy, with an impressive stat line as a valuable tool of the Weatherford Police Department.

Jack, a 6-year-old German Shepherd out of Hungary, has been working street crimes with handler Cpl. Chris Bumpas since 2018. The two recently paid a visit to the Weatherford Noon Lions Club, which gifted them with a check to go toward the purchase of a new safety vest for the canine.

“He’s dual purpose, so he does narcotics and patrol/apprehension work,” Bumpas said. “He can find cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin...”

In the canine world, an apprehension is defined as a situation where either the suspect gives up in any way because of the dog, or the dog is able to locate where officers wouldn’t have been able to.

“It’s a lot of good work he’s done for us,” Bumpas said, estimating 50 apprehensions on the street, as well as two live bites where the suspects didn’t give up at the end. “We also track finds and bites, so we have a ratio to show he doesn’t bite everyone he locates.

“It’s kind of crazy how many people will fight us ... they don’t care about tasers or anything else, but then the dog comes out and they’re like, ‘Oh, never mind.’”

In June, Jack played a critical role in helping arrest a man suspected of robbing a Weatherford bank. Both the canine and handler located the man in a nearby creek bed, and Jack was able to track the man down, leading to an arrest.

“The guy told us in the interview that he didn’t want to get bit by the dog so he laid down,” Bumpas said.

As members of the Street Crimes Unit, the duo are called out to assist with more specialized patrolling, such as traffic stops where narcotics are suspected, robberies, burglaries or situations involving the SWAT team.

“We’ll also go out to the high school four or five times a year, maybe more if we get a tip,” Bumpas said. “We’ll randomly go out there and run the parking lot or classrooms. It’s really more of a deterrent.”

Being the only patrol dog in Parker County means both Jack and Bumpas are on call 24/7 and available to all law enforcement agencies, though as a bite dog, Jack has to sit out on calls of search-and-rescue or a situation that may involve children or elderly.

Due to a growth spurt and about 20 pounds of muscle put on the last several years, Jack outgrew his previous vest, which protected him from bullets or slashes.

His new one, expected to arrive within the next several months, will offer the same layer of protection with a perfectly-fitted, lightweight material to keep him cool during Texas’ hottest months.

“As far as his paws, he’s pretty acclimated to [the heat] because he’s been out in it so long — they’re as hard as a rock,” Bumpas said. “But when he sits to alert that he’s found something, I have to be mindful of that, especially when we’re out on asphalt.”

The price tag for the valuable canines ranges anywhere from $14,000 to $20,000, which usually includes the dog, handler training and other teaching tools.

Police dogs are seen, in the eyes of the law, as a tool for the department, much like tasers or pepper spray, and their handlers assume liability should the dog be used as unnecessary force in a situation.

“The dog does what a dog does, but if it’s a situation where the guy’s already given up ... That’s why it’s really important in any K9 program to be selective of the handler,” Bumpas said. “On my vest, I have a button that pops open the [police vehicle] door, and if I’m away, he’s trained to come find me.

“You want to train them so that when they come out of the car, they find the handler and the handler directs them to do whatever, not come out biting the first person they see.”

The typical career for a dog of Jack’s physical makeup is anywhere from eight to 10 years, depending on their health, hips and bones.

“It’s hard on them jumping in and out of the car all day, and when it’s a 100-pound dog, it makes it a little worse,” Bumpas said. “But we’re expecting another two, three, four more years.”

And when the time comes for his retirement, Jack will more than likely remain at Bumpas’s home among his other canine brothers.

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