By Jan Sears
The Press Enterprise
REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands police Officer Dan Figgins knows exactly what’s in store for his colleague, Officer Patrick Estrada.
Estrada will spend the next several years working “the best job in law enforcement” and spending all of his time with his partner and best friend, Figgins said.
Figgins knows, because he and his partner, a narcotics-sniffing dog named Radar, spent the past four years doing exactly that.
Now Figgins has been transferred from narcotics duty to patrol, and Radar, a friendly black-and-white pooch that looks more like a pet than a highly trained police dog, will retire.
Redlands police officers held a fundraiser for the new dog, Kass, all day Thursday at Chili’s restaurant. They placed donation envelopes on the tables and the restaurant gave 15 percent of the day’s proceeds.
From lunchtime through the dinner meal, Redlands officers as well as department volunteers worked the house, talking with diners about the program and serving meals and drinks.
“They have been more than generous, putting up with us walking around in here, bumping into things,” Figgins said. “We don’t know what we’re doing.”
The restaurant also allowed Kass and Radar to come in and greet the diners.
It will be a week or two before the officers know how much was raised. If it’s anything like Figgins’ experience, it will be a substantial amount.
When Figgins and Radar started the K9 program in Redlands four years ago, Figgins solicited donations from businesses and residents to pay for Radar and his care. He raised enough for the entire four-year program in just a few weeks, he said.
Ever since he’s had “the best job in law enforcement,” he said Thursday evening.
“We are like peanut butter and jelly,” Figgins said. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
In the early years, Figgins depended a lot on Cpl. Paul Grimes and Officer Greg Castillo, of the Colton Police Department, to get his program organized.
“They’ve been my go-to people,” Figgins said.
Castillo took his dinner break at Chili’s on Thursday to help out his friend’s program. His dog waited outside in the patrol car, which Castillo left running to keep him comfortable.
During his career, Radar helped detect more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 44 pounds of cocaine, hundreds of pounds of marijuana and more than $634,000 in drug-related money, Redlands police said.
Estrada and Kass, a large chocolate Labrador retriever, have just finished the second week of their three-week training program. Kass, who is 3, already has been trained to detect drugs. This program teaches the two how to work together.
“His drive for work is strong,” Estrada said. “He’s a confident dog. It takes a lot of muscle to hold him back.”
While Kass lives with Estrada, for now he remains separate from the family, Estrada said. He will gradually introduce Kass after he and the dog have been together a while longer, he said.
In a few months, Estrada is pretty sure that Kass will not only be his partner but at home “just another kid in the family.”
Copyright 2012 The Press Enterprise, Inc.