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State calls Jason Forgey as the next witness.
Direct examination of Officer Jason Forgey by LDB:
(He is in OCSO uniform)
He is employed with OCSO assigned to specialized patrol, K-9 unit. Been with OCSO since 1994, 17 years.
He currently handles a full service dog and has worked a dog since 2001.
Training that initially qualified him - he cross trained with the K-9 unit prior to interviewing or going into the unit. Cross training meant he watch dogs, caught dogs, talked to them about working dogs and then transferred there.
He received a dog in 2001 when he went in as a part time blood hound handler. A few months later he became a full time handler.
His training initially was scent determination/man handling with his blood hound. Lasted 5 weeks, 3 in class, 2 in field, then proficiency test. This was K-9 Garret. He then did follow-up training consisting of meeting the monthly minimum of 2 training tracks a month and a supervisor would observe once a quarter. He worked with this dog for 10 or 11 months until the dog had to be put down.
He then received Ike, another blood hound. He trained Ike the same way - scent discrimination/man tracking and man trailing. He worked with Ike until he gave him to another handler in 2004 or 5.
At some point he had multiple dogs he was training.
In 2002 he received a german shepherd from a breading program named Bones, a single purpose cadaver dog, meaning this is his only job. He is taught to detect human decomp. 160 hours of specialty training and then the dog is certified in proficiency of working and can be deployed in field. These dogs were after 9/11 and the dogs had been converted over from bomb dogs.
Purpose of single purpose dog - training - introduction of dog to odor, imprinting stage then you train him for what you want him to do in his final alert - such as sitting.
The alert is the dog's indication that he has found the scent he has been trained on - any body change that the handler recognizes. The final trained alert is different - it's when he is worked to source - using water bottle as source - you would see the dog's behavior change as he approached the odor, but hasn't gotten to the source. When he reaches the source, the dog gives the final trained alert - such as sitting.
He trained Bones to proceed in this fashion. His final trained alert was a sit. Aids to train him in imprinting were mostly the rags with human decomp on them. They soak rags in the chest cavity of cadavers. Bones then went to training aids such as actually human bones, placentas, chest cavity rags, pseudo scent of drown victims - a man made odor in tablet form to see if the dog can detect the scent in a body of water. He also used blood and grave dirt as a training aid.
He does not have Bones anymore. The Sheriff decided that a full service dog was needed as opposed to a single purpose dog. They tried to convert Bones, but he couldn't do it. They then retired Bones and he went to a captain at OCSO and then to Osceola County Sheriff's Office as a single purpose dog. At the time this witness covered multiple counties as the only sworn officer with his single purpose cadaver dog.
Once he received a full service dog (while still working blood hound), he received Garris, a german shepherd. They bought him from a vendor in Germany. He was a little over a year. He will be 9 in October. He was sent to a program - 400 hour school - basic patrol K-9 work. Garris was then FDLE certified to do case work - evaluated by 2 outside evaluators in obedience, hand and voice, criminal patrols, building and outside areas. Dog and officer are tested as a team.
Garris received additional training consisting of 160 hours ini cadaver dog work. Introduction, imprinting and then he was taught to lay down at a source instead of a sit like Bones. The same training aids were used in imprint and final source training, in addition to body parts such as a leg and foot.
During process they are taught to proof off of other distracting odors - Garris never had a bone at all - no raw hide bone - didn't want him to learn to chew on bones. They trained them around ham bones, dumpsters, gas, cheeseburgers, pizza, decomposing animals, other animal scent, horse training rings, dog urine or feces. Garris was also exposed to different environments, construction area, drainage pipes, in cars, under cars, in fields, every scenario he could think of. When he is training Garris, he knows where the scent is hidden.
Garris received training in specialty schools in which he and the dog both do not know where the training aid is. The testing by OCSO are unknown finds also. This is done to evaluate the officer and the dog as a team.
Regarding cuing or bias on the handler, this could create a false alert. OCOS goes to great lengths to avoid this. They are trained to avoid this from the beginning. He lets the lead slack in his hand. If the dog stops, he would keep moving behind the dog to make sure to not cue the dog. This is usually only a problem for inexperienced handlers.
Garris underwent an evaluation outside the agency after being certified. He went to a basic cadaver school in Sarasota organized by one of the search and rescue groups. Andy Redman and company hosted a seminar/school. He is recognized a leader in the field of cadaver dogs.
Lunch recess until 1:30. Judge hopes they enjoy their lunch today.
Direct examination of Officer Jason Forgey by LDB:
(He is in OCSO uniform)
He is employed with OCSO assigned to specialized patrol, K-9 unit. Been with OCSO since 1994, 17 years.
He currently handles a full service dog and has worked a dog since 2001.
Training that initially qualified him - he cross trained with the K-9 unit prior to interviewing or going into the unit. Cross training meant he watch dogs, caught dogs, talked to them about working dogs and then transferred there.
He received a dog in 2001 when he went in as a part time blood hound handler. A few months later he became a full time handler.
His training initially was scent determination/man handling with his blood hound. Lasted 5 weeks, 3 in class, 2 in field, then proficiency test. This was K-9 Garret. He then did follow-up training consisting of meeting the monthly minimum of 2 training tracks a month and a supervisor would observe once a quarter. He worked with this dog for 10 or 11 months until the dog had to be put down.
He then received Ike, another blood hound. He trained Ike the same way - scent discrimination/man tracking and man trailing. He worked with Ike until he gave him to another handler in 2004 or 5.
At some point he had multiple dogs he was training.
In 2002 he received a german shepherd from a breading program named Bones, a single purpose cadaver dog, meaning this is his only job. He is taught to detect human decomp. 160 hours of specialty training and then the dog is certified in proficiency of working and can be deployed in field. These dogs were after 9/11 and the dogs had been converted over from bomb dogs.
Purpose of single purpose dog - training - introduction of dog to odor, imprinting stage then you train him for what you want him to do in his final alert - such as sitting.
The alert is the dog's indication that he has found the scent he has been trained on - any body change that the handler recognizes. The final trained alert is different - it's when he is worked to source - using water bottle as source - you would see the dog's behavior change as he approached the odor, but hasn't gotten to the source. When he reaches the source, the dog gives the final trained alert - such as sitting.
He trained Bones to proceed in this fashion. His final trained alert was a sit. Aids to train him in imprinting were mostly the rags with human decomp on them. They soak rags in the chest cavity of cadavers. Bones then went to training aids such as actually human bones, placentas, chest cavity rags, pseudo scent of drown victims - a man made odor in tablet form to see if the dog can detect the scent in a body of water. He also used blood and grave dirt as a training aid.
He does not have Bones anymore. The Sheriff decided that a full service dog was needed as opposed to a single purpose dog. They tried to convert Bones, but he couldn't do it. They then retired Bones and he went to a captain at OCSO and then to Osceola County Sheriff's Office as a single purpose dog. At the time this witness covered multiple counties as the only sworn officer with his single purpose cadaver dog.
Once he received a full service dog (while still working blood hound), he received Garris, a german shepherd. They bought him from a vendor in Germany. He was a little over a year. He will be 9 in October. He was sent to a program - 400 hour school - basic patrol K-9 work. Garris was then FDLE certified to do case work - evaluated by 2 outside evaluators in obedience, hand and voice, criminal patrols, building and outside areas. Dog and officer are tested as a team.
Garris received additional training consisting of 160 hours ini cadaver dog work. Introduction, imprinting and then he was taught to lay down at a source instead of a sit like Bones. The same training aids were used in imprint and final source training, in addition to body parts such as a leg and foot.
During process they are taught to proof off of other distracting odors - Garris never had a bone at all - no raw hide bone - didn't want him to learn to chew on bones. They trained them around ham bones, dumpsters, gas, cheeseburgers, pizza, decomposing animals, other animal scent, horse training rings, dog urine or feces. Garris was also exposed to different environments, construction area, drainage pipes, in cars, under cars, in fields, every scenario he could think of. When he is training Garris, he knows where the scent is hidden.
Garris received training in specialty schools in which he and the dog both do not know where the training aid is. The testing by OCSO are unknown finds also. This is done to evaluate the officer and the dog as a team.
Regarding cuing or bias on the handler, this could create a false alert. OCOS goes to great lengths to avoid this. They are trained to avoid this from the beginning. He lets the lead slack in his hand. If the dog stops, he would keep moving behind the dog to make sure to not cue the dog. This is usually only a problem for inexperienced handlers.
Garris underwent an evaluation outside the agency after being certified. He went to a basic cadaver school in Sarasota organized by one of the search and rescue groups. Andy Redman and company hosted a seminar/school. He is recognized a leader in the field of cadaver dogs.
Lunch recess until 1:30. Judge hopes they enjoy their lunch today.
