New Grosse Pointe Woods Public Safety recruit expected to take a bite out of crime

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Looks can be deceiving. New Grosse Pointe Woods Public Safety K-9 Arcos will be able to locate and, if needed, bite a suspect, but he’s also a bouncy, energetic, adorable puppy.

The German shepherd with the silky black coat and soulful brown eyes was born in the Czech Republic and just turned 2 on Nov. 2. His handler, Woods public safety officer Duncan Gill, has been with the department for about seven years and previously worked just under two years for the Detroit Police Department.

Thanks to an agreement with the nonprofit Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society, this program won’t cost the city anything, because GPAAS is covering the cost of the dog — about $10,000 — and all related expenses, including current and ongoing training and equipping a vehicle for the K-9.

“This is a great addition to our department as well as our community,” Woods Public Safety Director John Kosanke said. “Duncan and Arcos are going to be a great team. They’re hopefully going to, over time, reduce crime.”

Kosanke said the pair will also be ambassadors for the department, participating in community events and visiting local schools.

“It’s a very exciting (opportunity),” GPAAS Executive Director Corinne Martin said. “We support the community through animal sheltering, but this is another way we can support the community — through law enforcement and a dog.”

Gill, Kosanke and Grosse Pointe Farms Public Safety Lt. Tim Harris — the K-9 handler for Rocco and for the late Duke — traveled to Ohio Oct. 12 to meet prospective pups. Gill said the facility they visited had the young dogs go through assessment tests for qualities such as ability to track, ball drive and more. Arcos stood apart from the rest of the pack, and Gill was fortunate enough to have gotten first pick of the dogs.

“He crushed it,” Gill said of the tests. “To me, he was the standout.”

The department needs a dog that’s not only good at crime-fighting, but is also sociable. Arcos appears to be both.

“I just love his personality,” Kosanke said of Arcos. “He’s a cool boy.”

The Woods City Council voted unanimously in favor of an agreement with GPAAS for the K-9 program as part of its consent agenda Aug. 4.

“The City is absolutely thrilled to announce the arrival of our new K-9 dog, Arcos, and are grateful to the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society for the partnership,” Assistant City Manager Susan Como said by email. “We are very much looking forward to introducing Arcos to the community. He will be a tremendous addition to our Department of Public Safety and to the safety and well-being of our residents.”

Kosanke said a handful of officers in the Woods applied to be the K-9 handler. It’s a hefty responsibility, because the K-9 also lives with the officer, and the position entails a lot of work outside of the officer’s regular shifts.

Along with officers from the other Pointes and Harper Woods, Gill has for the last four years been a member of the Special Response Team, which is similar to a SWAT team.

“It was just an opportunity that came up that I couldn’t pass up,” Gill said of applying to become the city’s K-9 handler.

He said he’s had hunting dogs all his life.

“I’ve always been passionate about dogs,” Gill said.

GPAAS previously supported the Harper Woods Public Safety Department K-9 program, but when their K-9, Kaiser, retired earlier this year, Harper Woods decided not to get another dog, despite Kaiser’s handler, Sgt. Steve Johnson, being willing to work with a new K-9. The GPAAS partnership with Harper Woods was from 2016 to 2025, Martin said.

When Martin approached Grosse Pointe Woods to see if it might be interested in getting a K-9, lifelong dog lover Kosanke leapt at the opportunity.

The Woods briefly had a K-9 before, when officer Dan Schewe joined the department in 2015 and brought his K-9, Xander, with him. However, when Schewe left the Woods about a year later for a position in another community, the city lost its K-9 as well.

“I think that this is going to be an asset to the city and the community, and I can’t wait for all of the people in the community to meet Arcos,” said Sharon Peters, of Grosse Pointe Shores, who co-chairs the Woods K-9 program with Martin through GPAAS.

Kosanke said Arcos will serve in the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods, as part of the mutual aid pact, and may also respond at times in other neighboring jurisdictions because those experiences hone a K-9’s skills.

“That’s how he’s going to get better,” Kosanke said. “He’ll go into other communities.”

Gill said he named his dog after a working K-9 who was killed in the line of duty while serving with U.S. Special Forces in Iraq in 2005. He said many military dogs are Belgian Malinois or Dutch shepherds, but this Arcos was a German shepherd.

“I knew I wanted to pay homage to someone who came before him,” Gill said.

It’s been an eventful year for Gill, who just got married in September. The Macomb Township native and Dakota High School graduate had two other dogs at home before Arcos — a Brittany spaniel and a Dutch shepherd rescue — but they haven’t had any interaction with Arcos because Arcos needs to be focused on work and avoid possible injury from roughhousing with other dogs.

Fortunately, Arcos already has a buddy.

“He’s my best friend,” Gill said. “Everywhere I go, he goes.”

At press time, Arcos was undergoing training in tracking, building searches, handler protection, evidence search, apprehension and narcotics. Gill said Arcos will likely complete training and be certified by January or early February 2026, at which time he’ll start working.

Gill can’t wait — and Arcos seems to be enthused as well.

Gill said he’s looking forward to “the opportunity to serve the community in a different level. I’m excited for him to be out there and be the new face of the department — and, of course, catch bad guys. That’s what they’re for.”

Once he’s in service, Arcos will have his own Instagram page, K9_Arcos. There will also be updates and information about fundraisers for Arcos on the Grosse Pointe Woods Public Safety and Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society Facebook pages, Kosanke said.

Those who want to support Arcos and the Woods’ K-9 program can do so by sending checks to GPAAS and indicating in the subject line that the gifts are for this purpose. Donations can be dropped off at GPAAS offices between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at 20542 Harper Ave. in Harper Woods, or they can be mailed to GPAAS at 296 Chalfonte Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236. For more information, visit gpaas.org.

At this time, Martin said they can’t accept online donations.