Marietta Officer, Canine Partner Capture Serial Robber, Sniff Out Guns, Drugs

By Marietta Police Department

The bond between a police canine officer and his canine partner is very special. They live together, train together, patrol the night together and protect one another. That is why w, his grief was no less than someone who had lost a brother or sister.

While Inga is gone, but certainly not forgotten, Figueroa realized that life goes on even after personal tragedy; and when Riddick, another canine member of the department, needed a human partner, Figueroa once again volunteered to form a new canine team. 

In the months that followed, as Figueroa and his new partner worked together a new bond formed and their work together is reaching new levels of police performance. 

A few examples of their collaborative work in the past 30 days include:

September 15, 2012,  2:13 a.m. Figueroa and Riddick respond to the scene of an armed robbery in progress in an area plagued by a recent series of early morning robberies. Upon arrival they determine the armed suspect is fleeing from the scene. Figueroa radios to other officers converging on the area and together they capture the serial robber, recover the firearm he discarded at the side of the road, and recover the proceeds of the robbery.

September 17, 2012, 2:04 a.m.  Figureoa and Riddick respond to a call from other officers who had stopped a suspect believed to be involved in metal thefts from businesses in the area. The suspect, who was on probation for drug use, was uncooperative. Riddick sniffed and alerted Figureoa of the suspect’s vehicle and a corresponding search revealed a stash of cocaine and evidence of metal theft preparations.

October 6, 2012, 1:30 a.m. Figureoa and Riddick receive information from a concerned citizen that two males were dealing narcotics out of adjoining rooms in a local hotel. Figureoa surveills the location and notices a vehicle leaving the area. They stop the vehicle and arrest the driver for an active warrant out of Clayton County and recover a stolen handgun from the vehicle. It doesn’t end there; Figureoa and Riddick resume surveillance on the rooms, notice heavy pedestrian traffic and Riddick is deployed to sniff both rooms. He alerts on both rooms and as a result, Figureoa obtains search warrants.

The following morning, the Marietta SWAT team along with Figureoa and Riddick execute the search warrants. Upon entering the rooms they find multiple suspects and recover a loaded 357 Magnum handgun on a table, a loaded .380 handgun under a mattress where one suspect was seated.  They further searched the room and found $3,806 cash, Methamphetamine 6.6 grams, Marijuana 21.1 grams, Cocaine 26.2 grams, Heroine 25.5, MDNA pills 6 and assorted drug paraphernalia and ammunition.  Four suspects, one of whom had four active warrants out of Henry County, were arrested and charged with multiple counts.

September 2012 was National Working Dog and Service Dog Awareness month for military and service canines across the country. Officer Figueroa and Riddick were requested to conduct presentations and demonstrations at the Petco National Working Dog and Service Dog Awareness event at the Petco Galleria location. They gave a one-hour presentation and an actual demonstration by Riddick of a traffic stop where drugs were found. They were eventually commended for captivating the audience and showing a true passion for working and service dogs.

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