This Hero Cop Had Four Legs

By Amy Fernandez

K9 Biza from Auburn MA Police Department

Auburn, Mass., about an hour’s drive outside of Boston, is no major metropolis. Auburn’s K9 Unit consists of Officer David Ljunggren and a four-year-old German Shepherd, Biza. Not much, but they have truly done their share to solve cases.

Their latest success story took place on the evening of January 31. It was late on a frigid winter night when the dreadful call came in about a missing child. That is definitely not the time or place for strolling in the woods. The very real possibility of hypothermia made this a critical emergency. The Auburn PD was aided by State Troopers and plenty of concerned friends and family. But humans are no match for canine olfactory power.

Starting where the child was last seen, Biza quickly found the trail. This girl knows her stuff. She arrived at Auburn from Germany in 2022 and, along with her human half, went on to earn National Tactical Police Dog Association certification followed by the North American Police Work Dog Association program and tracking and trailing certification. But K9s don’t simply get certified and they are good to go. All of this training is subjected to regular reevaluation and recertification. A K9 on the team represents a big advantage but also a big commitment.

But nobody is thinking twice about Biza. No sooner does she track down one wayward human and the Auburn PD is asking her to hunt around for another one. Last June she made news when she tracked a hit and run perp. A couple months later she located another missing person in distress. And before she even had time to take a breath she was called out again to track down a man running from both domestic violence charges and an arrest warrant for maiming another person in a bar fight.

In those situations, people tend to take off. That’s also true for kids having a bad day. Unfortunately, this particular bad day happened in 20 degree temps once the sun went down. Time is always a factor in these cases but this situation really put the pressure on Biza. No problem. Once she picked up the trail it was quick work. Two miles later, happy ending for sure.

Auburn is lucky to have its K9 Unit. But really people …stop the nonsense. Biza needs some downtime!

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Posted by Liz on Apr 2 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.