Crime & Safety

Shores K9 Officer Hangs up his Badge

After six years of serving St. Clair Shores, Ivan retires.

At roll call this week, one of St. Clair Shores most recognizable officers has not been present.

K9 officer Ivan, a nine-year-old German shepherd, retired from the police force Friday after six years of service.

"It is the best job in law enforcement and I want to give someone else a shot at it," Matthew Steppey, Ivan's handler officer, said.

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During his career, Ivan and Steppey were called on a variety of crime scenes throughout his tenure.

  • Tracking bad guys, Ivan was on the trail.
  • Sniffing out drugs hidden underneath layers of clothing, he found them.
  • Representing the department in the community, the team was among the top ambassadors for the St. Clair Shores Police.

While the job provided the team many opportunities to make a difference in the community, it also required commitment from Steppey and Ivan. They were on call 24-7, and when were dispatched on a call, often the handler was put in charge of the scene.

Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Additionally, they conducted a minimum of 16 hours of training a month to keep his skills strong for tracking individuals and drugs including cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine.

"The nice thing about a dog, if you hold a rose and skunk, you will smell the skunk," Steppey said. "He will smell the rose and skunk."

In addition to the strong sense of smell, Ivan also showcased his tracking abilities almost immediately after joining the force

He was called to track a suspect who was caught in the area of Champine Park. Ivan started at the location of the home invasion and followed the scent to the suspect. The person, who was on parole, got 13 years on home invasion charges.

"His personality was very friendly. The only time he got aggressive was when we tell him," said Steppey, who was hired in April 2001.

Over his career Ivan was involved in 112 felony arrests, 102 misdemeanor arrests and 89 search warrants.

With Ivan's retirement, Hondo is the only K9 officer on the force.

But Glenn Bowlin, St. Clair Shores deputy police chief, said the department hopes to have a new dog by November. The dog, training and equipment are all paid for out drug forfeiture funds.

And while Ivan may be no longer actively with the force, he still will be close by.

His retirement years will be spent with his long time partner, Officer Steppey.


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