Just about every time you gather at the starting line of a favorite 5K, remember this: Without the able assistance of a local police department, there probably is no race.
They make sure the runners are safe from the possible risk of traffic-filled roads.
Some departments do more than others. Put Middletown Township Police Department in the plus column.
These people do a great job making sure races such as the Bucks County Roadrunners Club’s Thanksgiving Day 5-Miler and the Sesame Place Classic 5K go off without a hitch.
So when it was announced that the MTPD’s new Foot Pursuit 5K was scheduled to run on Sunday, Oct. 31 – which just happens to be Halloween – the folks over at BCCR wanted to help get the word out.
All funds from the Foot Pursuit 5K will benefit the department’s K9 unit, which is comprised of five highly trained canines who help police officers with a variety of tasks.
BCRR’s Bill Schaffling explained why his organization wants to help with this worthwhile endeavor.
“The MTPD has been our police support for the Thanksgiving race for a number of years now,” Schaffling said. “They are essential to making our race safe.
“They have become more of a partner who attends at least one of our meetings to go over race issues, logistics, etc. They actually proposed changes to our one-mile course to make the finish safer for all the runners.”
MTPD captain Pete Feeney says his department’s mission regarding road races around Bucks County is simple.
“We try to help people out when we can,” he said in a telephone interview.
Many of these contributions involve the Middletown Community Foundation.
“Middletown Community Foundation does a lot of things to help out, not only the township but different entities within the township,” Feeney said. “They do a lot of good work on all kinds of fronts.
“They do this with us, with the fire and emergency services, parks and recreation, but they also work with the school district and all kinds of programs which benefit people throughout the township.”
Years ago, MTPD had a race called the “Wolfapalooza” to help with K9 unit training but when COVID came along, that fell by the wayside.
“The thing they took on years ago was to try to raise some money to help with the K9 unit,” Feeney explained. “We brought it back in 2021 and it wasn’t very well attended. Mostly because it went away for a year or two. It took some time to build it back up again.”
A new plan was designed.
“The opinion was we needed to do something different with it,” Feeney said. “After a couple years off, we decided to bring it back and rebrand it.
“We looked at available dates and the best was Halloween. So we tied in a costume contest along with it, and kids’ events. Trying to bring it back to life with a new name and a new theme to it.”
Why is it so important to have a functioning K9 unit?
“They do a lot with criminal apprehension, searches and things like that,” Feeney said. “They track missing people, they find articles and evidence.”
The unit’s five dogs – Jax, C.J. (named for fallen officer Christopher Jones, who died in the line of duty), Blue, Kratos (named for the mythological God of War) and Fitz – were involved in an international news case.
In the bombing attempt at New York City’s Gracie Mansion (home of the sitting mayor), the two suspects were from Middletown and Newtown.
Middletown’s bomb dogs assisted the FBI with searching locations and finding the materials that were used to make the bombs and recover evidence.
While chasing down bad guys is important work, Feeney said the dogs probably spend more time tracking missing people.
“So it’s a lot more than criminal apprehension,” Feeney said. “They do track suspects and apprehend suspects when necessary. We’ve probably used them more for tracking missing people than we have for tracking suspects over the years.”
According to Feeney, the five dogs are all patrol trained. Two of them are cross-trained in bomb detection and two are trained in drug detection. They’re used for evidence recovery in those types of investigations.
All funds from the Foot Pursuit 5K go to training the canines.
And they make the community that much safer.
“We have a canine working 24/7,” Feeney said. “If somebody walks away from a (crime) scene, we have no way to track them. But that dog can smell, up to 700 times more than a human.”
Middletown’s “finest” track down countless suspects, missing children, Alzeimer’s patients that have wandered away.
“If someone runs from a crime scene and drops a piece of evidence, the dogs can actually smell that and find that for us,” Feeney said. “ The dog follows the human scent track to where the evidence is. They do a job where there’s no other way to accomplish it.
“Technology can’t do what those dogs do.”
To register for the Foot Pursuit 5K, visit www.runsignup.com
Schaffling said the race has the full support of BCRR, one of the largest running clubs in eastern Pennsylvania.
“It (Foot Pursuit 5K) is unique and should bring families out,” Schaffling said, “since it’s for the police and the K9 unit which protects the community. There is a chance for residents and police to connect.”
>Race calendar
Saturday
Maria Middleton Memorial Think Hope Run 5K, 8 a.m., Peace Valley Park, Doylestown. Contact www.runsignup.com
Jack O’Lantern 5K/10K, 8 a.m., Quakertown. Contact www.runsignup.com
Sunday
Alpha K9 5K, 8 a.m., Warminster. Contact www.runsignup.com
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