Putnamville---Today, the Indiana State Police held a graduation ceremony for the 2014 ISP K-9 Class at the Indiana War Memorial Museum in downtown Indianapolis. The ceremony graduated three ISP troopers and their K-9 partners, along with one Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy and his K-9 partner.
Trooper Mike Finney, from the Putnamville Post, and his K-9 “Boomer” were among the graduates. Finney is an eight year veteran of the ISP and a past K-9 handler for the department. “Boomer” is a 14-month old German Shepherd imported from the country of Poland. “Boomer” will accompany Finney on routine patrol within the Putnamville District.
During the fourteen week academy, “Boomer” had 600 hours of training in narcotic searches, aggression control work, building searches, tracking, article searches, and obedience. “Boomer” is a certified Police Service Dog through the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWADA). “Boomer” is certified in the detection of narcotic odors related to Methamphetamine, Marijuana, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, Ecstasy, and Heroin. The K-9 academy was under the direction of ISP Master Trainer Sergeant Dennis Wade and trainers Master Trooper Kevin Waters, Senior Trooper Mick Dockery and Senior Trooper Chris Richey.
Lieutenant Dan Jones, Commander of the Putnamville Post, stated, “We are proud of Mike and “Boomer” and look forward to their potential for fighting narcotic trafficking and apprehending criminal suspects in the Wabash Valley”.
Supporting the ISP K-9 program from a local level were Bemis, Wal-Mart East Terre Haute, Parke County Community Foundation, Princeton Mining Farm, Wabash Capital, Big Picture Data Imaging, Springhill Wholesale, Champion Awards and Gift, and the Indiana State Police Alliance.
Attached picture 1 is Trooper Mike Finney and “Boomer”.
Attached picture 2 is Trooper Finney and “Boomer” receiving graduation certification from ISP Superintendent Doug Carter.
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