Police dog handlers have to form a trusting relationship with their K-9 partner, but it doesn’t mean it’s always easy. St. Francis Police Detective Holly McManus sits down with WTMJ’s Libby Collins to talk about some of the challenges, building her relationship with Franklin’s first K-9, and the charitable foundation started in his name. It’s all ahead on this edition of WTMJ Conversations. Listen in the player above.
A partial transcript is provided below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters.
HOLLY MCMANUS: We had a situation where we were going after some dangerous people, and we knew that the offenders had firearms inside. They had their doors barricaded with 2x4s, and I remember the armored vehicle sitting on the front lawn of this house. We’re calling out to the guy, he’s not coming out, not answering us. It was like a flat although a three-story building, and he was on that main level. So, there was like half staircase up to his level, you know, in the back of the house where there’s like the shared staircase to go to all three levels of the house. And he was poking his head out from the door frame, and he was basically saying that he’s not going to surrender, that the only way he was is if we went in and got him. And we’re trying to get him out and I put Bane in between the two guys with the rifles.
And it’s funny because I never actually had to send Bane in, but this guy is probably 10 feet from us, he could only see Bane. And Bane had all of his teeth out, and he never barked once, but the growl was so loud that the guy could hear him inside the house. He basically said, “I’m still not coming out.” And I said, “Well, Bane’s coming in to get you.” And after a little bit of negotiation, he came out. And we took him into custody, and he said the only reason he came out was because of the dog.