If one was just to talk to Bridgeport Officer Shaun Fleming about the hygiene of his partner in fighting crime, they may think there was a problem. Each day, Fleming and his partner head out and, even on a good day, his partner’s breath is a little foul, there’s body hair everywhere and the uniform itself is far from government issue.

 

And for a female, Fleming’s partner likes contact a little more than what would be deemed appropriate in law enforcement circles.

 

Of course, when your partner is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois named Gretchen that makes up the Bridgeport Police Department’s K-9 unit and is also the department’s representative on the recently formed Mountaineer Highway Interdiction Team (MHIT), it all makes sense. Because of that, Fleming doesn’t mind any issues with some dog hair or a bit of doggie breath. In fact, he said, it’s quite the opposite.

 

“I enjoy my time with her,” said Fleming. “It’s the best job in the world right now.”

 

Fleming has been Bridgeport’s K-9 officer for a little more than a year. He took over the duties when Scott Carpenter’s dog retired at roughly the same time. Now, the two not only work together, but they live together. That’s standard protocol for dogs working with their handlers in law enforcement.

 

“She’s a working dog so there are some things you can’t do with her so to have her live with you it is a little stricter than a typical dog,” Fleming said. “Gretchen gets along with my family very well. She’s just a very nice dog.”

 

That bodes well for the public relations part of Fleming’s role with Gretchen. The two show up at various events, such as National Night Out, and Gretchen is good for breaking the ice with children and others who might be curious about law enforcement or even ask a question.

 

“She’s very good with the public,” said Fleming. “She loves attention.”

 

The other part of the job is what makes her so valuable. Gretchen’s specialty is in narcotics.

 

“She’s trained to alert to odors of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin, which are basically the four most prevalent drugs around here,” said Fleming. “She’s a valuable tool for what we do. She helps establish probable cause. If there is someone suspicious and the possibility exists that the occupants have drugs and I run her around and she alerts, that gives us the right to search the car.”

When that happens, more often than not officers find drugs. Most recently, Gretchen was involved in a huge drug bust on Interstate 79 on what was a routine traffic stop in mid-July.

 

Late that morning, Bridgeport Police stopped a black Kia Soul with Kentucky registration on Interstate 79’s northbound lane at the 122 mile marker for speeding.  During the stop, the actions of the driver and passenger raised the suspicion of Officer F.S. Toothman, who requested Fleming and Gretchen to assist on the scene along with two other MHIT members

 

Gretchen got a positive hit on the car, which led to a search. The search resulted in the discovery of 1.5 ounces of Hallucinogenic mushrooms, approximately 30 hits of LSD, 1 gram of crack cocaine and small amount of Hash. The Kentucky residents were arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance with intent to deliver.

 

“Things like that have happened several times,” said Fleming. “That was one of the bigger ones.”

 

Much like the officers that walk on two feet, Gretchen has to constantly train. In fact, this past week Fleming and Gretchen were joined by West Virginia State Police Trooper Chad Wetzel and his German Shepherd Astor at the Benedum Civic Center.

 

Fleming and Wetzel , who is also part of MHIT with his dog, took turns planting contraband and having the dogs sniff them out both inside and outside the building. Once the dogs alerted to the drugs they were rewarded with some play from their owner.

 

“This is training and it’s something I try to do with her every day whether it’s here or somewhere else,” said Fleming. “It’s like anything, practice makes perfect. It not only keeps her sharp, it helps keep me sharp.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Officer Shaun Fleming rewarding Gretchen with some play time after "alerting" to drugs hidden on the grounds of the Benedum Civic Center during recent training. In the second and third photos, Gretchen is getting in some of her training, while State Trooper Chad Wetzel rewards his dog Astor for getting a "hit" on drugs during the same training session.