Dana Simas, Public Information Officer
Correctional Officer Chris Salopek and his dog Taser were on duty and conducting a search of the perimeter of Salinas Valley State Prison along Highway 101 on Dec. 10.
Here is some of the contraband found by Correctional Officer Chris Salopek and Taser.
During the search the pair came across several large black plastic trash bags on the side of the road, waiting to be picked up by inmate work crews. Taser sniffed around and alerted Officer Salopek to one bag in particular. Inspection of the bag revealed one ounce of marijuana, 18 ounces of tobacco, three cell phones, three cell phone chargers, pre-paid calling cards, SIM cards, and two two-liter soda bottles filled with alcohol.
If the material had ended up inside the institution, it could have endangered staff, inmates, and the public.
Taser, a 3-year old German shepherd, has been working for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) since November 2010. His discoveries have been outstanding. He is cross-trained to not only to detect the odor of narcotics, but also cell phones and tobacco.
Taser was donated by Nancy Rynard, owner and operator of Westwood Kennels in Ohio. Rynard specializes in breeding and training German shepherds for law enforcement agencies. She heard about CDCR’s program and donated Taser and his brother Max to the department. Max is assigned to Sgt. Jeremy Packard at Folsom State Prison.
Officer Salopek and Taser have been active in the Western States Police Canine Association Trials over the last year and consistently place in the top three in competitions with other law enforcement agencies throughout the State.
great job…. keep up the good work
GOOD JOB TASER!! We are very proud of you over here at CENTINELA STATE PRISON
My favorite type of pooch! Another point for the good guys.
Great job Taser and C/o Salopek. Continue keeping us safe, we really appreciate your hard work.
Great Job, C/O Newcomb, C/O Salopek and especially Taser, with his special abilities and the C/O’s training the bad guys would have won again.
Great work, good to see teamwork like this and good to read about it. Thanks to all involved with this article, being prior military and a dog handler, it really is appreciated when the team does a good job. CDC let’s get dog teams at every institution.
You can run, however, we wil sniff you out. It’s a dog’s world. Good job my four leg friend.
great team work by all staff( Inc.Taser) who were involved.. we all have a common goal and that is to keep the safety within the walls.. just shows the dedication and commitment these officers displayed.. keep up the good work.
GREAT JOB TASER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Job
Awesome work guys and Taser! Keeping all of us safe is ongoing and to know we have special people like you out there is comforting.
awesome!!
Luv you Taser, keep up the good job. Congrats to the COs, Taser worked with and more power to all of you.
I continue to be impressed by the outstanding work done by the K-9 Unit.
I agree with Sgt. Lupe Perez…we need a canine presence at San Quentin!
we win again
Outstanding job guys.
Thanks for the great article about Taser. I would like to point out that our partner, Correctional Officer S. Newcomb was also with us during this search and was the lead investigator in this case. Newcomb along with our other ISU partners did a great job that night.
We really need a dog to come be a part of our San Quentin Family!
Great work Taser!