K-9 Zulu is Darien police's newest officer

Written by Lynsey Santimays
Saturday, 18 July 2009

Zulu, the first member of the recently-formed Darien police K-9 unit, is ready to protect and serve in his customized K-9 vehicle. (Darien Times/Kristen Riolo photo)

The newest member of the Darien Police Department is 21 months old and 85 pounds.

No, it is not an oversized toddler. It is a German shepherd named Zulu, who recently became the first K-9 in the department’s 84-year history.

“This new unit has brought us new capabilities and skills, and it is very exciting for everyone,” Sgt. Jeremiah Marron Jr. said.

Until now, if a police K-9 was needed, Darien had to request assistance from either the state police or surrounding police departments. This often caused delays and hindered investigations that required immediate searches — and on some cases, no K-9 unit was available.

“About two and a half years ago, we started a committee that was charged with researching putting a K-9 unit in place in Darien,” Marron said. “The committee found it would be very appropriate for the community and the police department to have a K-9 unit.”

Data taken from 2006 to 2008 showed that there were 555 incidents in Darien where a police dog could have been used. In addition, there was an instance one winter night where an accident occurred on Tokeneke Road and the injured victim was missing from the car. A state K-9 was called to assist with the search, and found the victim in just under four minutes. He was semi-conscious on a river bank — in 18 degree weather.

“If it wasn’t for the dog, that victim probably would have died that night,” Marron said. “A police dog can essentially do the work of 10 officers in a fraction of the time.”

While the need and want for a K-9 was there, the money was not. “Unfortunately, the downturn of the economy caused us to put the K-9 on the back burner,” Marron said.

But on Jan. 1, a new town ordinance, which charges Darienites $100 per false alarm in an attempt to reduce them, took effect. The money from this ordinance allowed the police department to fund the initial and ongoing expense of a K-9 unit.

With the financial green light, the Darien police hired a private vendor, Renbar Kennels, to help them select and purchase the dog. The department wanted to ensure that the dog they purchased would meet all of its needs and requirements.

“We wanted an approachable dog that could wear a lot of different hats for us,” Marron said. “We told the vendor everything we wanted, from looks to skills — and we got it.”

Zulu was born in Czechoslovakia. He was trained in obedience, tracking, and protection there. He was 18 months when he arrived in the United States in March. Once here, he moved in right away with his handler.

The handler is Officer Nicholas Aranzullo, who is a four-year veteran of the Darien force. Aranzullo and Zulu will be working together for the duration of Zulu’s career, which is, on average, 7 to 10 years.

“It is not like having a normal pet,” Aranzullo told The Darien Times this week. “Everything you do with the K-9 has a purpose.”

After their first four weeks living together, Aranzullo and Zulu began an eight-week training and certification program. Aranzullo was taken out of the police schedule for two-and-a-half months to complete the training.

The two trained for eight to 10 hours a day, five days a week for eight weeks.

“It was the most difficult training I had ever done,” Aranzullo said. “It was like starting my job all over again.”

And the training continues when Zulu is at home with Aranzullo. “It is a 25 hour-a-day job,” Marron said.

In addition to Aranzullo and Zulu’s training, every officer went through a basic training of how to deal with the K-9.

Now that the eight-week training is complete, Zulu is able to assist in locating missing persons, evidence recovery, narcotics detection, building searches, criminal apprehension, and officer protection. In addition, Aranzullo and Zulu must attend ongoing, state-mandated training two times a month.

The benefit of having Zulu was felt immediately. One of his first days on the job, he uncovered a half-a-pound of marijuana during the search of a house.

“That was really rewarding, to see all our hard work paying off,” said Aranzullo. “It was definitely worthwhile.”

And if all continues to go well with Zulu, the police department could possibly look into adding a second K-9 to the unit in the future.

“For a town the size of Darien and the number of calls we receive, a two-dog unit would be ideal,” Marron said.

For right now, though, Zulu will be the town’s only K-9. He will be sworn into the department on Monday, Aug. 3, at 6:30 p.m., at Town Hall.

“Zulu is another great tool that is available to us now,” said Marron. “It will not only benefit Darien, but the surrounding areas, as well.”