There is a strong police presence in Lake George this weekend, but it has nothing to do with an uptick in crime. More than 120 law enforcement officers from across the Northeast have come to town for the 2nd Annual Law Enforcement Officers’ Weekend. Three law enforcement workers of the four-pawed variety arrived Saturday afternoon for a K-9 demonstration held on the Fort William Henry Hotel lawn.
K-9 Tusko trots across the grass, tugging against the leash held by his handler Sgt. Dale Quesnel of the Ticonderoga Police Department. Bags and boxes were strewn about the lawn, and Tusko stopped to sniff each one. K-9 Tusko is from Czechoslovakia, explains Sgt. Quenel, “He has his own passport. He came from a breed over there that is very, very good at finding narcotics and tracking people.” Tusko stops in front of a cardboard box taped shut with duct tape. There he drops his hindquarters and looks up at Sgt. Quesnel as if to say, “There’s something in this one.”
Tusko is paid on the spot with his “reward toy,” a large rawhide chew bone. “It’s their paycheck,” explains Washington County Sheriff Deputy Travis Earl. “They work for either a treat reward or a toy reward,” an item the K-9 treasures above all others.
Deputy Earl handles K-9 Brucha, who demonstrated her skill at subduing a suspect. Brucha is duel certified, trained in narcotics and patrol, which includes tracking lost persons or criminal suspects and searching buildings. When set loose on the Fort William Henry lawn, K-9 Brucha bounds at full speed to catch a suspect, played by Sgt. Quesnel, gripping his arm in her jaw until he indicates surrender by raising his arms above his head.
Warren County Sheriff Officer Jeremy Coon handles Ozzy. The K-9 was named to honor CPL Benjamin Osborn, a Lake George graduate who was killed in 2010 while serving with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. For the demonstration, Ozzy’s assignment is to locate a missing child.
The young boy, a volunteer from the audience, hid behind a tree next to the Towers Hall building on the West side of the lawn. K-9 Ozzy works in widening circles, sniffing at the ground, steadily moving towards the tree, stopping when he finds the child. Officer Coon immediately gives Ozzy his reward toy. Ozzy also demonstrated his skill at locating narcotics as pictured in the featured photo at the top of this article.
The K-9 demonstration was one of several LEO Weekend events open to the public. LEO Weekend founder Austin Glickman says he plans to have an expanded K-9 demonstration at next year’s event.
