Scranton's newest officer has a nose for crime

Joseph Kohut, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 9—SCRANTON — The newest addition to the Scranton Police Department may only be 14 months old but what he lacks in age he makes up for in enthusiasm.

Rock, a Belgian Malinois, started patrolling the city this week with his handler, Patrolman Scott Benzeleski, who for four years chased drug dealers with the Street Crimes Unit and jumped at the opportunity to work in the K-9 unit.

"This is something I've always wanted to do," said Benzeleski, who has been a police officer for 6 1/2 years. "Since I've been a cop."

Rock joins a team of five dogs working at the city police department, Police Chief Leonard Namiotka said. Like Rock, two other dogs and their handlers are trained for patrol, tracking and sniffing out narcotics. Another dog is trained to work with the bomb squad and another is trained to investigate arsons. Rock replaces a recently retired dog, the chief said.

Like other working dogs, Rock doesn't know that he's at work. Sniffing for drugs or chasing after a suspect means he'll get to play with a toy after, Benzeleski said.

"That's every dog. They just want the toy," he said. "They don't care that they found a missing child, or a murder suspect or three kilos of coke."

Though Rock might think it's playtime, Benzeleski said the canine soon will be outfitted with a bulletproof vest and body camera. That will help, for example, if Rock is sent into a house to find a burglar. His camera would feed to an iPad that allows other officers to monitor him.

Benzeleski and Rock spent several weeks training together under Progressive K-9 Academy in Walnutport after the department received a $15,500 anonymous donation this spring to fully cover the cost of purchasing the dog and training him. When he brought him home, Benzeleski introduced Rock slowly to Mako, his Staffordshire terrier and Rottweiler mix. The two dogs are now best friends, he said.

Scranton City Council adopted legislation accepting the donation in May. The department's budget already included resources necessary to maintain a new dog because he would replace one who had retired, officials wrote in a legislative cover sheet.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.