Paws on Patrol: Meet Officer Riko

Although Riko may appear cute and show a love for his favorite training chew toy and balls, criminals beware: This 80-pound Belgian Malinois is not a dog you want to mess with.

One of three Culver City Police Department K-9 officers trained to hunt for suspects and narcotics, Riko is nonetheless friendly and liked it when this reporter scratched him behind the ears. Despite his happy demeanor—and the typical dog tendency to lick toes—10-year-old Riko was involved in a recent hunt for a Beverly Hills killer and a home invasion suspect in Culver City.

His journey to Culver City is long one, beginning with his birth in Belgium; two to three years of European training that included human scent work, bite work, obedience school and housebreaking; an airplane ride Sept. 11 that included a delay in an unknown country; and finally a landing in Culver City.

When he came here as a pup, Riko had four weeks of fieldwork with handler and roommate Officer John Benjamin, which helped him to prepare for various situations he may encounter in the field.

A K-9 officer's training never ends, however. All three Culver City dogs meet in Ventura County every month with the Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and the beach cities' K-9 units to work on their skills. At home in Culver City, Riko has eight to 10 hours of conditioning per week, which includes running on a local track with Benjamin. Culver City residents may have seen Riko traveling around town in a specialized take-home city vehicle for K-9 dogs.

Though Riko has a rigorous schedule—he works Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.—his job is like one big game of "hide-and-seek" for him, said Benjamin.

"The dog is satisfying his drives when he searches and locates a suspect," said Sgt. Brian Fitzpatrick, the department's K-9 supervisor. "You're talking about a play drive, a hunting drive, prey drive--all of these things come into play. As far as he's concerned, he's hunting. The satisfaction for the dog is the find."

In terms of money, the typical cost to buy a Belgian Malinois ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 plus training, handler school, lodging and food for his handler. Although the Culver City Police Department had to shave three percent off its budget for the 2010-'11 fiscal year, the K-9 unit was untouched.

Interested in seeing Riko? Look for him and the other K-9 officers as they give a demonstration at Fiesta La Ballona on Saturday at 11 a.m.