Last summer, one member of The Chronicle’s Editorial Board came across a drug bust while driving along Mellen Street just a block down the road from Pearl Street in Centralia.

    Traffic was backed up with about a dozen squad cars on the scene. Police swarmed around a home. One young man somehow escaped the police and began running along Mellen Street. A police dog was in close pursuit.

    The man tripped and fell onto a yard. The dog pounced, grabbing onto the man’s arm. It was over in seconds as the man immediately gave up any attempt to struggle free.

    It was vicious, but appropriate. It did not appear the man was injured. He certainly was transformed from an aggressive man to one completely subdued.

    The point: the use of police dogs is an important component in keeping us safe from criminals. A person fleeing from a drug bust through downtown Centralia can turn dangerous for the innocent citizens that can come into contact with the desperate criminal.

    Police dogs do many things. They run faster than humans. Their keen sense of smell gives them an edge in tracking down a wanted person. A police dog makes it much safer for the officer.

    We recently lost a retired Centralia Police Department police dog. Bak, a German shepherd, died on Oct. 26 at the age of 11 from lupus. During his nearly 10 years of service to this community, Bak and handler, Officer Tracy Murphy, took down more than 300 criminals. Bak was the longest-serving K-9 police dog in the department’s history.

    Bak was imported from the Czech Republic to Canada, and then purchased by the department for $4,700. Centralia’s K-9 program is funded through community donations. It now continues with the police dog Kayo. We thank those who have helped raise funds to keep this program going.

    This week we got to know Kayo a bit better. Chronicle police reporter Andy Campbell volunteered to experience a police dog from a fleeing criminal’s viewpoint.

    Campbell was wearing protective gear and Kayo was called off before Campbell was taken to the ground. Still, Campbell called Kayo “very effective.” We videotaped the ordeal. Look for that video up on Chronline.com soon, along with a report by Campbell in The Chronicle.

    This isn’t the first time Campbell has volunteered himself for such treatment. Earlier this year he was Tased by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department. That also can be viewed on chronline.com.

    After seeing first the police dog in action on Mellen Street and then Campbell getting Tased, we would choose Tasing over being taken down by a dog. Both are effective, but the dog is downright frightening.