After about five years with the Great Bend Police Department, Officer Taylor Reed is taking on a new role as the partner and handler of the department’s longtime K-9, Menta.
With Menta’s previous handler moving on from the department, Reed said the new opportunity comes at a great time for him, and he feels he has the law enforcement experience necessary to take on the duties as the department’s new K-9 officer.
When he first began looking at pursuing the path three years ago, Reed said he didn’t realize how much experience was needed to be able to handle the added responsibilities and extra duties that come with being a K-9 officer.
To initially become certified, Reed trained in Nacogdoches, Texas for a week and a half, training for about 13 hours each day. Typically, officers go through 2-4 weeks of training, however Reed was the only one in his class, so his training was much more hands-on and individual in nature.
It was beneficial, though, because if he made a mistake, the feedback and correction from the instructor came instantly.
He still trains every Wednesday with officers from several other area counties, including Kiowa, Pratt, Pawnee, Rice and Barton counties. The Barton County Sheriff’s Office has its own K-9 officer, Alex Mason, who is also currently undergoing training in Texas. When her training is complete, Reed said he’ll be working closely with her, and her BCSO K-9, Maxx.
Working with Menta
Menta, a five and a half year old Belgian malinois, has been with the department since 2019. Prior to her time with the GBPD, Menta was trained in both Europe and the United States.
Unlike some K-9 officers, Menta is a not a single-purpose dog, but a general patrol dog, meaning she’s trained in multiple tasks. Menta is trained in locating illegal narcotics and in article searches, which means if a suspect discards items during a pursuit she is able to locate those items. She also tracks suspects and is trained bite work.
The extra training for Menta means continual additional training for Reed, as well. In addition to the initial training, Reed said he is required to go through 16 hours per month of training over standard law enforcement training to stay current on all necessary certifications.
Along with training with the dog, he said, K-9 officers need to make sure they are always bonding with the dog and caring for the dog, including feeding, cleaning, and making sure the dog has adequate water.
Reed said a canine officer is treated much differently than a pet. The canine and their human handler are a team, and must work as such. Both must be on top of their game at all times, and must know how to work well together.
Besides the additional training, as a K-9 officer, Reed said there is a lot that separates a K-9 officer from other law enforcement officers.
Being a K-9 officer requires extensive training in case law, Reed said. There are strict guidelines regarding which situations he can, and cannot, deploy Menta in the field. A great deal of information gathering is required to ensure he is not violating a suspect’s rights and that he’s following proper guidelines regarding canine officer deployment.
Because of that, Reed also has additional paperwork to file anytime he uses Menta in the field, in addition to the standard incident reports officers fill out.
As a K-9 officer, Reed is on call at all times, and can be called with Menta by a law enforcement agency in surrounding counties at a moment’s notice.
Reed, who said he has a strong passion for law enforcement work in general, has loved his first few weeks working with Menta.
Reed does not do the work for himself, but instead sees it as a chance to help people and address pressing needs in the community. “I’ve always been interested in working in narcotics,” Reed said. “(Narcotics use) is sad to see, and tears people’s families apart. Addiction is a real thing, and addiction is not easy.”
For Reed, working in narcotics isn’t just about making arrests, it’s an opportunity to help people escape a destructive lifestyle that damages individuals, families, and the community as a whole.
“I don’t like seeing people be victims of a lot of these crimes, and a lot of it has to do with the drugs, and if I can try to make an impact on that, we’re going to try it,” he said.
