What is more patriotic than a police K-9 that was born on the 4th of July, began training September 11th and is named Bane, which means Glorious Defender in the Slavic languages?

When we set out to build a better and stronger department to better serve the residents of Brownstown, bringing back the canine unit was very high on the list. We have had two prior canine teams in department history: Officer Mike Topjian with K-9 Titan (May 2008-June 2015) and Officer Jon Smith with K-9 Lightning (May 2008-May 2018). These teams worked tirelessly, seized thousands of pounds of narcotics, thousands of dollars for forfeiture and located numerous lost persons and suspects hiding in the shadows. Since their retirement there has been a hole in our hearts and a need for a new canine.

On September 9, 2023, Officer Nick Walker and former canine handler / new canine supervisor Lt. Topjian went to a small kennel in Ohio to select the perfect dog – a beautiful Shepard from Germany. Officer Walker described the selection process as “finding the one with the greatest energy and ball drive.” He said ball drive is when you throw a toy ball into a field with tall grass and the handler observes how long the dog will search for the ball.

Some dogs will look for a little while then give up. The dog that came to be known as Bane did not give up. They threw the ball multiple times and he always came back with it. His drive was undeniable and because of that, Officer Walker selected him as the next canine for Brownstown.

Later they learned that Bane was born on the 4th of July, which was emblematic, and on the 22nd anniversary of September 11th, the team began training at the K-9 Academy in Taylor, which is home to the president of the National Association of Police Canine Handlers, Terry Foley.

After Officer Walker selected Bane, it was time for the two of them to learn together. Bane had no prior training and Officer Walker had never been a canine trainer before. The two trained nonstop for two months at the K-9 Academy and Officer Walker said he’s spent hundreds of hours of his personal time working with Bane. He described seeing the advances in Bane’s abilities as his biggest accomplishment and highlight of his career so far.

Interestingly, Bane will change his searching techniques based on the type of harness he’s wearing. If they are searching for a lost child, Bane will wear a collar that indicates the person he’s searching for is not a potential threat. When he locates that person, he’ll sit down next to them. However, if they are searching a building for a breaking-and-entering suspect, a different harness will be used and Bane will seek that person out with officer safety in mind.

On Bane’s off-time, he lives with Officer Walker and “walks around with a Kong in his mouth 24/7.” He is very playful, energetic and cute, so be sure to say hello when you see them out patrolling!