Hometown Hero: Suffolk County Sheriff's Office K9 Hondo

One of the newest members of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office has already proved he’s doggone good at his job.

Hondo, a 1-year-old German shepherd, had just completed his eight-month training earlier this year when his skills were put to the test. A teenage girl had fled on foot from the county court complex in Riverhead, according to police.

“We got a call for a missing teen who ran away from her guardian,” said Deputy Sheriff Jason Figari, Hondo’s handler. “We got information from our Criminal Investigations Bureau after doing a camera canvass that they saw the area where she ran into, so I sent the dog in there for an area search and he kind of pulled me right to her.”

Thanks to Hondo, the girl was found hiding behind electrical components in a wooded area, Figari said.

The dog was recognized by Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr., who presented Hondo with his official police shield in March.

“We are excited to welcome Hondo as our newest four-legged member of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office,” Toulon said. “I look forward to all the future investigative work he will do to keep our county safe.”

The K9, which will primarily be on traffic patrol with the DWI Unit of the Sheriff’s Office, has also helped with other tasks in recent months, including locating narcotics inside of a vehicle on the East End.

Hondo came from a kennel in western Pennsylvania last summer. He was trained by retired New York City Transit detective Wayne Rothschild, who worked with Hondo and Figari at the same time by starting with simple lessons such as “sit, heel and stay” and then progressing to “imprinting odors” for the dog to target, Figari said.

Hondo and Figari’s relationship goes beyond the job, though, as the police pooch also shares a home with the deputy sheriff.

“It’s been working out pretty good; my family loves him, so that’s definitely helpful,” Figari noted. Of the training sessions, he said: “Obedience is really the basis of everything we do, because if the dog doesn’t listen to you there’s no sense in training him to do everything else.”

Hondo joins a force of five police dogs: two other deputy sheriff K9s and three Corrections Office K9s.

“Having this type of support from our K9s is integral to keeping our officers safe and keeping the public safe,” said Chief Deputy Sheriff Christopher Brockmeyer. “It’s important to have the tools necessary to get the job done.”

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.