County Sheriff's Canine Unit Has Radnor Roots

Garrett Hill resident Corporal Bob Adams is very proud of the work done by his Delaware County Sheriff's Department unit.

It may be a small unit, but it's mighty.

Adams is in charge of Canine Unit, which he started in 2000.

Have you ever been to the Delaware County Courthouse or the PPL Park, the soccer stadium in Chester? If so, you have officers like Canine Charlie and Canine Guru partly to thank for your safety.

The four-human, four-canine unit sweeps the county courthouse every morning and the soccer stadium before every event.

Partners

Adams' partner is Canine Eddie, who does search, rescue and cadaver work. The other three dogs do patrol work, which includes criminal work and article search for evidence.

The last two came from Slovakia, where "they're bred to do that kind of work." But Adams said the dogs are actually very mellow, and they often do demonstrations for school children.

The dogs live at home with their partners. At the Adams house Canine Eddie lives with Bob, his wife Donna and another German Shepherd Penny, who is a stay-at-home dog. Penny and Eddie play together after Eddie's long days at work.

Canine Bruno, the newest German Shepherd to the unit, just graduated from Philadelphia Police Canine Training with his partner Officer Mike Wisley.

Officers Ron Denny and Erv Smith are also members of the unit. Each of the four dogs were paid for by grants.

The Unit

Not every county's law enforcement agengy has a canine unit. Before starting the unit, Adams worked in the Sheriff's Department for ten years.

His father Robert H. Adams, Sr., was a Radnor Township Police Department officer for 34 years.

Any of the county's police departments may call in the unit for assistance. Adams said Radnor Township does not typically contact them.

"We're happy to go anywhere. We get a call, we'll go," he said.