New police dog joins sheriff’s department

A new furry, four-legged officer has joined the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.

Brock, a 1 1/2-year-old German Shepherd, had his first shift on Monday. Although this is not the first police dog for the sheriff’s department, it will be Deputy Sean Egan’s first time being a handler. Egan said he is excited to start working with Brock.

“I’ve always found it very interesting how police dogs work and just the skills they have that we don’t,” Egan said. “It is just amazing the things they can do.”

Brock will live with Egan for the entirety of his career.

Egan said living with a police dog is different from a regular dog. Egan said Brock is always alert and sniffing around, but he tries to keep a good balance in his home.

“He is not a normal pet, even though he acts like a regular dog most of the time,” Egan said. “He has other skills and attributes that a lot of regular dogs don’t have.”

Brock is a dual purpose police dog, trained to detect and track. Additionally, Brock is certified in detecting illegal narcotics. The sheriff's Department spent approximately $9,000 to get Brock.

Brock, like many newer police dogs, are no longer trained to alert on marijuana now that it’s legal.

Before starting at the sheriff’s department, Brock did a five week pre-service training. He was taught how to use his skills as a police dog. But he wasn’t the only one that went through training.

“I went through a five week canine academy with Brock,” Egan said. “I was taught how to use his skills with him.”

Egan said typically German Shepherd police dogs work around eight years before retiring. He said it depends on the dog’s physical health.

Egan said being partnered with Brock has been great so far. He has been a part of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department for 11 years, and he has worked in the jail, road patrol and the drug task force. Egan said he likes learning new and challenging things.

“It’s different relying on something other than myself or other officers,” he said. “It’s been a fun learning experience.”

Egan said he is looking forward to Brock working for the sheriff’s department. He said Brock will be a great tool for police work and community outreach. He said dogs always make people happy.

Brock is currently the only police dog at the sheriff's department. He was the replacement for police dog Faust, who worked with Deputy Michael Pink for around eight years. He retired from service because of old age and now lives full time with Pink.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: St. Clair County Sheriff's Department gets new police dog