Glendale Police Foundation

K9 Idol’s Retirement On March 15th, 2020, K9 Idol retired from the Glendale Police Department, where he served the department and the community for 7 years. K9 Idol was born in Serbia on March 10, 2011. He was flown to the United States in September 2012 where he began his police K9 training in Ventura, CA, with Glendale Police K9 handler Shawn Sholtis. In 2016, Idol continued his career with handler Kyle Heinbechner, who will continue to care for Idol as hi...s family’s pet during retirement. K9 Idol was trained to locate dangerous suspects, explosives, and firearms. During his long career, K9 Idol has greatly contributed to the overall safety and well-being of Glendale by locating suspects and firearms. Idol has conducted numerous searches for explosives, both in response to bomb threats as well as protective sweeps for dignitary visits and high-profile sporting and entertainment venues. K9 Idol has also assisted neighboring police agencies on several occasions in search of suspects, guns, and explosives. Idol has impacted hundreds of children and adults within our city by performing dozens of K9 demonstrations throughout his career. We wish K9 Idol many years of health and happiness during his retirement life. #glendalek9 #glendalecalifornia #glendalepolicedepartment #retiredk9

To reserve your seat, visit https://gpf.org/k9-howl-at-the-moon/ and buy your ticket today! #glendalecaK9team #glendalepolicedepartment #glendalepolicek9unit #glendalepolicecommunityoutreach #k9comedynight

Join us on March 7th at 6pm to meet Glendale’s newest patrol K9 team to hit the streets. Born in Holland, K9 Eddie is a 4-year old Belgian Malinois who responds to Dutch commands. Eddie and handler Julian Cruz attended a 5-week basic K9 training in Riverside, CA and graduated in December 2019. They are certified as a patrol K9 team, which means Eddie can search for and apprehend violent suspects. Eddie is expected to be certified as a narcotics dog in the next few months.... After becoming certified in narcotics detection, Eddie can be used to search for drugs in vehicles, buildings, and outside areas. Glendale’s dual purpose K9s are also called upon by outside agencies to assist with locating suspects and contraband in nearby cities. You will see an exciting LIVE demo from the K9 on March 7th. To reserve your seat and/or to be a sponsor, please visit https://gpf.org/k9-howl-at-the-moon/ #GlendaleK9Team #GlendalePoliceDepartment #GlendalePoliceFoundation #GlendaleCommunityOutreach #Givingbacktocommunity

Join us on March 7th at 6pm to meet Ofc. Kyle Heinbechner and K9 Idol! At the comedy night you will see an exciting LIVE demo from the K9s. Please reserve your seat TODAY! To be a sponsor please visit https://gpf.org/k9-howl-at-the-moon/ Idol is a German Shepherd, born on March 10, 2011 in Germany. Idol’s commands are in German. Idol is a smart and bright dog that he is able to use one of his skills set to locate a bullet in the trunk. Please read below for one of Idol's ...success stories. #THESUCCESSSTORY A Glendale police officer contacted two people, one of whom was in possession of ammunition. Although suspicious, it was not illegal for this person to possess the ammunition. However, there was a vehicle associated with the subjects in the immediate area. Concerned that the subjects may be in possession of a concealed firearm in the car, officers were given consent to search the vehicle for a gun. K-9 Idol, who is cross-trained to detect explosives and firearms, was used to search the vehicle. Although the vehicle was completely filled with clutter, Idol alerted to the trunk area. Officers hand-searched the corner of the trunk where Idol alerted and recovered two small .22 caliber bullets underneath the spare tire. The significance of this finding was that the vehicle belonged to the other subject stopped, who was a convicted felon. Thanks to Idol’s keen sense of smell, officers were able to locate the bullets and arrest the convicted felon for being in possession of ammunition. Without Idol, it would have been nearly impossible to locate the small caliber bullets in such a cluttered vehicle #GlendaleK9Team #GlendalePoliceDepartment #GlendalePoliceFoundation #GlendaleCommunityOutreach #Givingbacktocommunity

K9 Idol’s Retirement On March 15th, 2020, K9 Idol retired from the Glendale Police Department, where he served the department and the community for 7 years. K9 Idol was born in Serbia on March 10, 2011. He was flown to the United States in September 2012 where he began his police K9 training in Ventura, CA, with Glendale Police K9 handler Shawn Sholtis. In 2016, Idol continued his career with handler Kyle Heinbechner, who will continue to care for Idol as hi...s family’s pet during retirement. K9 Idol was trained to locate dangerous suspects, explosives, and firearms. During his long career, K9 Idol has greatly contributed to the overall safety and well-being of Glendale by locating suspects and firearms. Idol has conducted numerous searches for explosives, both in response to bomb threats as well as protective sweeps for dignitary visits and high-profile sporting and entertainment venues. K9 Idol has also assisted neighboring police agencies on several occasions in search of suspects, guns, and explosives. Idol has impacted hundreds of children and adults within our city by performing dozens of K9 demonstrations throughout his career. We wish K9 Idol many years of health and happiness during his retirement life. #glendalek9 #glendalecalifornia #glendalepolicedepartment #retiredk9

On March 7th join us at 6pm at Glen Arden Club. You will meet the Glendale Police K9 Unit and see an exciting LIVE demo from the K9s! If you are interested meeting the K9 unit, please visit https://gpf.org/k9-howl-at-the-moon/ and buy your tickets today! #communityoutreach #glendalepolicedepartment #Glendalepolicek9unit #glendalepolicefoundation #wewillbetherewillyou

To reserve your seat, visit https://gpf.org/k9-howl-at-the-moon/ and buy your ticket today! #glendalecaK9team #glendalepolicedepartment #glendalepolicek9unit #glendalepolicecommunityoutreach #k9comedynight

Join us on March 7th at 6pm to meet Glendale’s newest patrol K9 team to hit the streets. Born in Holland, K9 Eddie is a 4-year old Belgian Malinois who responds to Dutch commands. Eddie and handler Julian Cruz attended a 5-week basic K9 training in Riverside, CA and graduated in December 2019. They are certified as a patrol K9 team, which means Eddie can search for and apprehend violent suspects. Eddie is expected to be certified as a narcotics dog in the next few months.... After becoming certified in narcotics detection, Eddie can be used to search for drugs in vehicles, buildings, and outside areas. Glendale’s dual purpose K9s are also called upon by outside agencies to assist with locating suspects and contraband in nearby cities. You will see an exciting LIVE demo from the K9 on March 7th. To reserve your seat and/or to be a sponsor, please visit https://gpf.org/k9-howl-at-the-moon/ #GlendaleK9Team #GlendalePoliceDepartment #GlendalePoliceFoundation #GlendaleCommunityOutreach #Givingbacktocommunity

Please join us on March 7th at 6pm at Glen Arden to meet Officer Kyle Heinbechner and K9 Idol. They have been partners since February 2017. Idol is a German Shepherd and was born on March 10, 2011 in Germany. Idol’s commands are in German. Idol is a smart and bright dog that he was able to use one of his skills set and locate a heroin. Please read Idol's success story below. #THESUCCESSSTORY Glendale police officers were involved in a high-speed vehicle pursuit through G...lendale, which terminated near Harvey Drive and the 134 Freeway. The suspects exited the vehicle and fled from officers, but were quickly apprehended. K-9 Idol was used to retrace the steps of the suspects as they ran from the police, looking for any evidence that was discarded during the foot pursuit. Amidst all the accumulated litter along the roadway, Idol keyed in on one crushed soda can. To any officer, this would look like any other discarded can. However Idol detected the scent of fresh human odor on this single piece of trash. Idol alerted his handler, Officer Sholtis, to the item. Upon further inspection, the can contained a small amount of heroin. Often times, heroin users will use the bottom of a soda can to heat the drug, which is then injected into their system. Thanks to Idol’s incredible sense of smell and ability to search for discarded evidence, the suspect was charged with an additional felony and discarded drugs were safely taken off the street. #GlendalePoliceK9Team #Glendalepolicefoundation #meetk9idol

Join us on March 7th at 6pm to meet Officer Paul Shubunka and K9 Mike. To reserve your seat, clicking on the link below. https://gpf.org/k9-howl-at-the-moon/ #Meet Officer Paul Shubunka and K9 Mike ... Officer Paul Shubunka is a 10 year veteran of the Glendale Police Department. Paul worked as a patrol officer and as a Field Training Officer, teaching young officers in the field after they graduated from the police academy. Paul volunteered for many years as a K9 agitator before being selected to be a handler in July 2019. K9 Mike is Glendale’s newest patrol K9 to hit the streets. Born in Holland, K9 Mike was selected to fly to the United States to become a police dog. Mike is a 3-year old Dutch Shepherd with certifications in KNVP, which is a European dog sport translated to Royal Dutch Police Dog Association. This means that Mike had prior training in searching and bite work. Once in the United States, Mike was tested and selected by the Glendale K9 Unit based on his drives that are desirous for police work. Paul and Mike attended a 5-week basic K9 training in Riverside, CA in July 2019. They are certified as a patrol K9 team, which means Mike can search for and apprehend violent suspects. Later this year, Mike will begin his training as a dual-purpose explosives detection K9. After becoming certified in explosives detection, Mike will be used to search for explosives in vehicles, buildings, and outside areas. He will be able to assist with dignitary protection by conducting safety sweeps prior to the arrival of high profile dignitaries who visit Glendale, or assist with safety sweeps at large public events such as concerts, sporting events, and the Rose Parade. #GlendalePoliceK9s #GlendalePoliceDepartment #GlendalePoliceFoundation #KeepingGlendaleSafe See more

After 30 years of dedicated service, Captain Scott Bickle is retiring today. Thank you for your service, Captain! The Glendale Police Foundation wishes you the best for the future.

The graduation ceremony for Class of 2019 Glendale Police Citizen’s Academy was held tonight at the GPD. What a great 10 weeks it has been for our 30+ students. #GPD #GPF #citizenacademy

Today’s GPD Open House was a huge success with a big turn out. Thank you to all who came, we hope you enjoyed the day!

Happening now... The K9 event at the GPD open house!

The GPD Open House kicks off today at 10am. Don’t miss out on this free event highlighting the many divisions of the police department. K9 demonstrations begin at 11am. Kids have an opportunity to participate in a crime scene activity to identify Who Stole the Pumpkin. Tours of the old jail, police station and museum. Try on SWAT gear and take photos next to our new Bearcat Armored Vehicle.

Happening now... The Glendale Police Foundation board members meeting Officer Shubunka and K9 Mike.

Come spend a few hours with us at the Glendale Police Department! Station and Jail tours, K9 demos, SWAT displays and so much more! Hope to see you all there... Oct 20, 2019.

The Glendale Police Foundation plays a key role in the GPD K-9 unit...