Stop, thief!

Monday, July 13, 2015

Red Willow County, Nebraska, Sheriff's Deputy Jason Swartz attempts to run from Luna, the sheriff's department's K9 officer, during a demonstration of Luna's search, suspect apprehension and officer protection skills at a fundraiser at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in McCook Saturday morning. Luna is a Belgian Malinois who weighs a svelte 54 pounds; it didn't take her but about 20 yards to overtake 240-pound Swartz, who was on the run and wearing a 30-35-pound bite suit. "Luna doesn't have a lot of size," her handler Sheriff's Deputy Lt. Justin Davis explained. "She uses her momentum to take someone down. And she's very athletic." Running full speed, Luna will reach speeds of 24-28 miles an hour. The sheriff's department's K9 program is not funded with tax money, but with donations. Davis wants to equip Luna with a torso-fitting harness and detachable "ballistic protection" vest costing about $1,500. Organizations, clubs or individuals that would like donate to the vest fund and or would like to see Lt. Davis demonstrate Luna's skills are encouraged to contact the sheriff's office at (308) 345-1850, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

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