Local Canine Teams Win Top Honors

Canine units from two local law enforcement agencies scored high marks in the 11th annual Redondo Beach Police Canine Trials last week.

Teams from the Simi Valley Police Department and Ventura County Sheriff’s Department brought home four first- and second-place trophies following two days of competition Friday and Saturday at Redondo Beach High School.

Forty-one teams and 55 dogs competed in events such as narcotics searches and obedience and agility tests.

Simi Valley Police Officer Sterling Johnson and his German shepherd, Charly, won first place in obedience and second place in the narcotics competition. His teammates, Officer Mark Rendahland his German shepherd, Cero, were the first-place winners in man-work, a competition that tests the dog’s ability to subdue an attacker.

Sheriff’s Department Senior Deputy Debbie DeMattia and her German shepherd, Blitz, won second place in the box-search competition. In this event, the dog must locate a person hiding in one of several boxes scattered across a field.

Blitz is the department’s oldest dog, and has been DeMattia’s partner for more than two years.

Redondo Beach Police Officer Ken Greenleaf and his dog, Asko, were the overall winners, and the team champions were Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputies Jay Brock, handling Jacko, and Steve Kennedy and his dog, Rambo.