K-9 application packet

Pflugerville Police Department From: A. Fitzpatrick Re: Memorandum of Interest for K9 Unit Please accept this memorandum as a formal submission of interest in becoming a K9 Handler in the Department’s established K9 Unit. My interest in K9s began approximately 5 years ago, when I purchased a Belgian Malinois as a partner to compete in French ring sport. After the purchase of my dog, I began attending training sessions with a certified K9 Instructor and active law enforcement K9 handler. The training sessions consisted of obedience, bite work, passive protection, as well as vehicle deployment and leash based apprehensions. Once I became a commissioned peace officer, the Chief of Police at the department of which I was previously employed, provided approval for me to implement a K9 program for the department. Once I was given this approval, my dog and myself were able to become members of a regional law enforcement K9 training group in the North Texas area; Lone Star Training Group. Once a member of this group, I began attending weekly narcotic detection training with my dog. I have approximately 200 hours of K9 handler training consisting of a combination of obedience, bite and apprehension work, and narcotics detection. Aside from the aforementioned non-certified K9 handler experience. I would also like to discuss my experience concerning narcotics interdiction. The agency I was formally employed with prior to beginning employment with the Pflugerville Police Department was located in a high narcotics trafficking area. Due to this, I was afforded the opportunity to work highway interdiction operations alongside the Parker County Sheriffs Office as well as the Department of Public Safety’s Highway Patrol Division. During this time, I was able to gain a lot of knowledge and experience regarding driving indicators of vehicles transporting and possessing narcotics, roadside interview techniques, narcotic identification, and had a lot of success in effecting narcotics arrests based off of self-initiated traffic contacts.

Although I recognize that I have just shy of 24 months of service as a commissioned peace officer, however I feel that I have been fortunate that my time in services has been filled with very valuable experiences; quality over quantity in essence. I have attached several letters of recommendation for your review, from both inside of this agency and out. I hope these recommendations will provide insight into the interdiction knowledge and experience that I already possess, as well as my ability to positively network with outside agencies to gain additional experience and form positive and long-lasting professional In summation, I feel that my interest, drive, work ethic, aptitude for fast learning and application, ability to form positive networking relationships, as well as my passion for drug interdiction and high-risk patrol activities will propel me into being a successful K9 handler for this department if afforded the opportunity. Officer A. Fitzpatrick

AFI SO OME WA fey a NA Pflugerville Police Department From: Sgt. i Re: Letter of Recommendation — A. Fitzpatrick j- K9 Handler A. Fitzpatricklgrequested a supervisory letter of recommendation for her application packet to become a K9 Handler. | served as a Sergeant on Shift 3 while A. Fitzpatrick was in training and later working solo on that Shift. Because of that, | have been able to observe her work product first hand. ! wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend that A. Fitzpatrick be considered for the position of K9 handler. | have found her to be a hard, dedicated worker who comes in and gives the Pflugerville Police Department her all on every shift | have worked with her. A. Fitzpatrick is an extremely competent officer who produces a stellar work product that you would be hard pressed to find from other officers of her tenure and of those who have served longer than she has. A. Fitzpatrickgalso possesses outstanding verbal skills and is excellent in communicating with the public and with suspects. A. Fitzpatrick written reports and affidavits are exemplary; she is extremely articulate in her written work products. | believe this would serve her well as a K9 officer as it is important to be able to articulate suspicions and observations in this role. A. Fitzpatrick takes her role as an officer very seriously and in my interactions with her on shift | have found her to be professional. | have never known her to be late and have found her to be very reliable and self-sufficient in the field. In my interactions | have found A. Fitzpatrick]to be relaxed around her fellow officers and display great camaraderie. | believe this would be important in a tight knit unit, such as the K9 division, and think this demeanor would be very helpful for her.

Pflugerville Police Department To: Chain of Command From: So Re: Ofe Alicia Fitzpatrick i- K9 Recommendation This memo is in reference to Alicia Fitzpatrick’s interest in the open K9 position. I give my full recommendation to allow her the opportunity to fill the position. As being one of her past supervisors, I observed her to be a “go-getter.” Alicia is always looking to make our streets and community a safer place by being proactive, not reactive. She seeks out, and finds, narcotics and doesn’t shy away or have other officers take her work, no matter the Alicia also has the drive and mannerism for this type of work, its apparent by her daily goals. I have, on numerous occasions, heard her say she was going to find narcotics, and she actually does it. Alicia is just the type of officer the K9 division needs to progress and prosper. Again, I give me full recommendation, wanting to add that she is an asset and a leader, which makes her the right choice for K9. Sergeant i ii

Pflugerville Police Department From: Sgt. Li Re: K9 Recommendation for A. Fitzpatrick This memo is to document my official supervisory recommendation for A. Fitzpatrick in reference to the open K9 officer position. I am currently assigned as A. Fitzpatrick direct In the time period I have worked with A. Fitzpatrick investigative skills and a drive that is beyond her peers. A. oan, ‘aa little to no supervision and can handle almost any task given to her. A. Fitzpatrick s a self motivated team player, she has shown an ability to see the bigger picture of an investigation. A. Fitzpatrick has been instrumental in an investigation, which has spanned other jurisdictions, and has already developed a reputation as a hard worker willing to go the extra mile. I am also aware of the fact that A. F itzpatrick actively works on her fitness level and is always improving herself in all aspects of her duties. A. F itzpatrick has prior experience working with police K9’s, which she has conducted on her own time, and will have a skill set to enter the position and hit the ground running. A. Fitzpatrick is a strong asset to my shift and is instrumental in its success. I strongly believe she can be successful in anything that she is motivated to accomplish. Any division that has an opportunity to have A. Fitzpatrick as a member will be stronger for it. A. Fitzpatrick has exemplary verbal skills, when it comes to roadside interviews, and if given an opportunity has the potential to be an asset to the department. she has shown exemplary

Pflugerville Police Department Re: Fitzpatrick K9 Memo I have trained A. Fitzpatrick as an FTO and worked with her on Shift 3 as her Corporal. On both occasions, she has shown herself to be a knowledgeable and proactive officer. On multiple occasions, Alicia has turned a traffic stop into a vehicle search, which resulted in the arrest of the suspect. Alicia has been able to establish probable cause through roadside interviews. Alicia is constantly looking for ways to remain proactive including working with TCSO deputies to attempt to catch BOV suspects that have been causing issues in both Pflugerville and Travis County. On another occasion, she went on foot patrol in potential BOV areas to attempt to locate suspects. Alicia has prior knowledge and experience with working dogs based on her personal protection dog and is well aware of the amount of time required for their training. My personal and professional opinion is that if Alicia were to be selected for the K9 position she would continue to excel and would be a benefit to the K9 program. Detective D.

Special Agent DPS Criminal Investigation Division Blvd. Irving, TX, 01/28/2020 To whom it may concern, | am writing this letter on behalf of Alicia Fitzpatrick. | have known Alicia for several years. She is a woman of exemplary moral character, and has an unmatched work ethic. Her ability and drive to grow as a peace officer to better serve her community is unparalleled. | met Alicia when she was a new officer operating in a highly active criminal area saturated heavily with narcotics. Even as a new officer she had an uncanny ability to detect criminal indicators. Her innate ability and eagerness to learn criminal interdiction soon made her a leading peace officer for felony arrests in the area of north Parker County, TX. Alicia and ! became good friends and worked in the field together often. Her strong interview skills and high level of officer safety made her indispensable on many of my own investigations. Despite my efforts to recruit her into DPS, she took a job with Pflugerville Police Department. As expected, she has become a valued asset in the patrol division. From many conversations with Alicia, | am aware of her intent to promote into the K-9 division and believe strongly that she would be an asset to your unit. She not only possesses the necessary prerequisites in criminal interdiction including; indicator recognition, interview, officer safety, narcotics knowledge, but has the desire and capacity to continue to improve her craft. As a former Trooper focused highly on criminal interdiction and now a Special Agent in the Texas Anti- Gang unit, | believe all her skills to be applicable to the position in which she is applying. These skills accompanied by her sound character, ability to learn, and eagerness for public service will make her a valuable asset to your team. | am available any time for further discussion on this matter at lor cell Special Ager

To whom it may concern, | am very pleased to hear that Alicia Fitzpatrick has the opportunity to put in for the position of K9 handler for Pflugerville PD. | have full confidence that officer Fitzpatrick is fully capable in handling a dual purpose dog for your department. | have known officer Fitzpatrick since 2015 and seen her develop as an officer and in her K9 related skills. | was her trainer for French Ring Sport in the civilian side and initiated target odor introduction to the same dog for the city of Reno as they were initiating a pilot K9 program. We accrued about two hundred hours training together in total. Officer Fitzpatrick is someone that | trusted her judgement to allow my oldest daughter decoy for her and her dog during training and never worried about Officer Fitzpatrick’s ability of handle her dog. As a Police K9 trainer, being a handler of over fifteen years and after handling four police service dogs, if | was able to choose our next handler, Officer Fitzpatrick would be my selection hands down. Officer Fitzpatrick has heart. She has shown to have excellent judgement under pressure. Despite her stature, she is fully capable in excelling in the role as a handler. Officer Fitzpatrick has a natural ability to read and interpret a dog’s body language that will in time, set her ahead of any handler you may have ever had before. If you have any questions about her training history or abilities, feel free to contact me. Thank you,

01/28/2020 To Whom It May Concern: lam writing this letter in strong support of Officer Alicia Fitzpatrick’s assignment to the K-9 Unit at the Pflugerville Police Department. | had the privilege of being one of Officer Fitzpatrick’s field training officers when she was beginning her law enforcement career and have firsthand knowledge of her qualifications for this position. One of the skillsets | seek to impart in all my recruits is the ability to conduct a lawful, professional, and comprehensive narcotics interdiction interview. Ostensibly, this ability is invaluable to a successful K-9 Handler. Few of the recruit officers | have trained grasped the concept of street level narcotics interdiction as quickly or as passionately as Officer Fitzpatrick. Officer Fitzpatrick, in her short time working in Parker County law enforcement, built a strong reputation for herself as a narcotics interdiction officer at the patrol level and garnered attention from both the Texas Department of Public Safety as well as the Parker County Special Crimes Unit. She both participated in, and initiated, multiple successful interdiction encounters that resulted in the seizure of both small and large quantities of penalty group one substances. Officer Fitzpatrick’s success as an interdiction officer is attributable equally to both her passion for narcotics interdiction as well as her background in human psychology. Her ability to meld together her training and experience as a law enforcement officer with her high level of formal education and experience in social work results in her effective and competent roadside interview capability. | am also aware of Officer Fitzpatrick’s experience specifically with K-9 handling, and know from my conversations with her that, on her own time, she actively trained with a Denton County law enforcement K-9 training group where she was able to learn how to run a narcotics detection and apprehension K-9 from experienced K-9 handlers. Her passion and dedication toward K-9 handling is In conclusion, | strongly recommend Officer Fitzpatrick’s assignment to the K-9 Unit at your agency as she will be an invaluable asset to your department’s capability to successfully interdict, arrest, and prosecute narcotics offenses at both the street and above the street levels. Respectfully Submitted, Parker County Sheriff's Office Weatherford, TX

Pflugerville Police Department Internal Affalrs Officer Resume Officer Alicia Lynn Fitzpatrick Part I - Personal Information Name: Officer Alicia Lynn Fitzpatrick Bureau: Patrol Part II - Incidents

Texas Commission On Law Enforcement Personal Status Report Name TCOLE ID (P ID) STATUS ALICIA L. FITZPATRICK P| Citizen Race Gender Federal ID State ID Yes Hispanic Female Education Information Institution Hours Education 0 High School TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY 64 Bachelor UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ARLINGTON 38 Master VALENCIA COLLEGE 18 College Credits UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA 77 Total Hours 197 Total Training Hours 3940 Service History Service Service Appointed As Department Award Start Date End Date Service Time Peace Officer PFLUGERVILLE POLICE Peace Officer 7/1/2019 0 years, 7 months (Full Time) DEPT. License (Full Time) | OS License (Reserve) - License Total Service Time Description Service Time Peace Officer 1 years, 5 months Total officer time 1 years, 5 months Award Information Award Type Action Action Date Peace Officer License License Court Security Certification (SB42) Certificate Certification Issued 7/24/2019 Basic Peace Officer Certificate Certification Issued 11/18/2019

Texas Commission On Law Enforcement Personal Status Report 3/8/2017 Cedar Valley College LEA Academy History Course Title Basic Peace Officer Course (643) 09/01/2019 - 08/31/2021 Courses Completed Course Course No. Course Title Course Date Hours Institution Legal Update Department Academy 1850 Crisis Intervention Training 42/19/2019 40 UT. System Police Academy 2040 Defensive Tactics 11/4/2019 4 PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) 1999 Personnel Orientation by 10/28/2019 0 PFLUGERVILLE POLICE Dept. Basic Proficiency DEPT. (Training Rosters) 3722 Peace Officer Field Training 10/28/2019 160 PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) Unit Hours 207 Course Course No. Course Title Course Date Hours Institution Office Academy DEPT. (Training Rosters) DEPT. (Training Rosters) Office Academy 3345 Less Lethal Impact Weapons 8/2/2019 1 PFLUGERVILLE POLICE Training (Bean Bag/Impa DEPT. (Training Rosters) 2106 Crime Scene Investigation 8/1/2019 40 Williamson County Sheriff's (Intermediate) Office Academy 66201 FEMA ICS Single Res/Initial 7/26/2019 3. PFLUGERVILLE POLICE Incident (FEMA IS-200b DEPT. (Training Rosters) 100a) DEPT. (Training Rosters) 1S-700a) DEPT. (Training Rosters) 1/29/2020 Training Mandates 86th Session State and Federal Law Update Crisis Intervention Training Crisis Intervention Training 40hr (Intermediate) Personnel Orientation Peace Officer Field Training Training Mandates De-escalation Tech (SB Crime Scene Investigation Page Number: 2

Texas Commission On Law Enforcement Personal Status Report No. Course Title 2109 Spanish for Law Enforcement 6019 Policy Instruction and Review 3343 Less Lethal Chemical Weapons Training (OC, Mace, e 2040 Defensive Tactics 8158 Body Worn Camera 3347 Less Lethal Electronic Control Device Update 403 The Telecommunicator and Stress (Online) 2107 Use of Force (Intermediate) 30418 Civilian Interaction Training 2065 Lidar Radar Training 4068 Child Safety Check Alert List (Intermediate/Advanc 10999 Court Security Officer 2105 Child Abuse Prevention and Investigation (Interm.) 3275 Missing and Exploited 4068 Child Safety Check Alert List (Intermediate/Advanc 3184 84th_Legislative Session Legal Update 1/29/2020 Courses Completed Course Date Hours 7/24/2019 24 7/16/2019 8 7/12/2019 4 7/12/2019 4 7/10/2019 8 7/9/2019 2 7/18/2019 8 7/5/2019 4 7/5/2019 13 7/15/2019 2 7/3/2019 4 7/1/2019 1 5/31/2019 8 5/27/2019 24 5/27/2019 4 5/27/2019 1 2/25/2019 4 Williamson County Sheriff's Office Academy PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) TCOLE Online OSS Academy OSS Academy PFLUGERVILLE POLICE DEPT. (Training Rosters) Williamson County Sheriff's Office Academy Texas Mun. Courts Education OSS Academy OSS Academy OSS Academy Training Mandates Spanish for Law Enforcement (Intermediate) Spanish for Use of Force (Intermediate) Civilian Interaction Training Child Safety Check Alert List Child Safety Check Alert List Child Abuse Prevention and Investigation (Intermediate) Missing and Exploited Missing and Exploited Children (Advance) Missing and Exploited Children (Intermediate) Child Safety Check Alert List Child Safety Check Alert List Page Number; 3

Texas Commission On Law Enforcement Personal Status Report No. Course Title 3232 Special Investigative Topics 3901 Family Violence 4065 Canine Encounters (Intermediate/Advance) 7887 Interacting with drivers deaf or hard of hearing 2096 Arrest, Search & Seizure (Non-Intermediate Core Co 3270 Human Trafficking 3270 Human Trafficking 09/01/2015 - 09/30/2017 No. Course Title 1000643 Basic Peace Officer Course 3806 Hazardous Materials (Haz- Mat)/ Haz Mat Investigati 1/29/2020 Courses Completed Course Date Hours 2/25/2019 8 10/25/2018 8 9/18/2018 4 9/18/2018 4 9/2/2018 1 8/27/2018 8/26/2018 4 Unit Hours 272 Course Date Hours 3/8/2017 643 2/15/2017 OSS Academy Denton Police Academy Lewisville Police Academy Lewisville Police Academy Praetorian Group - Police TCOLE Online OSS Academy Cedar Valley College LEA 24 TEEX Central Texas Police Training Mandates Special Investigative Topics Canine Encounter Canine Encouter (Advance) Interacting with drivers deaf or hard of hearing Human Trafficking Human Trafficking Training Mandates 82nd Session State and Federal Law Update 83rd Session State and Federal Law Update 84th Session State and Federal Law Update 85th Session State and Federal Law Update Asset Forfeiture Crisis Intervention Training (Intermediate) issued prior to 4-1-18 Cultural Diversity (Mandate) Identity Theft (Intermediate) Racial Profiling S.F.S.T. NHTSA24hour Special Investigative Topic State and Federal Law TCIC/NCIC for Less than Full Access Operators Page Number. 4

Texas Commission On Law Enforcement Personal Status Report Courses Completed 09/01/2015 - 09/30/2017 Course Course No. Course Title Course Date Hours Institution Training Mandates Awareness for Emergency Academy First Res Unit Hours 671 Total Hours 1150 Total Hours TotalTraining Hours From Education 3940 Total Course Hours 1150 Total Hours 5090 *Courses submitted between 09/01/2017 and 09/30/2017 will be credited to the 2015-2017 and 2017-2019 training unit, but will only count once toward total training hours.

CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE Employee GEAR Evaluation SIX MONTH EVALUATION Employee’s Name: ALICIA FITZPATRICK Rater’s Name: | Employee’s Title: Police Officer Rater’s Title: Police Sergeant Department: Police Evaluation Cycle Start Date: 07/01/2019 | canaoninany performances; work is always expert, exemplary and flawless; always exceeds job requirements and results expected by a substantial degree. Superior performance; most work is characterized by unusual accomplishments beyond the job requirements; significantly and consistently performs at a level above that expected. Meets major job requirements; is consistently effective and competent; achieves results expected. Areas of strength and growth should be completed for all areas that meet expectations. Needs improvement to meet major job requirements; work is fairly acceptable in some respects but does not meet expectations. Areas of growth must be completed for any areas that are identified as needs improvement. Employees with 2 or more areas that need improvement, a performance improvement plan (PIP) is required. Performance is unacceptable; substantial improvement is necessary to meet job requirements. Areas of growth must be completed for Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Needs Improvement any areas that are identified as unacceptable. Employees with any areas that are unacceptable, a performance improvement plan (PIP) Name of Employee Six Month Evaluation Month/Year

The employee demonstrates professional behaviors including a positive, constructive attitude that supports a team-based working environment. The employee demonstrates ethical behavior and presents professional demeanor and appearance as defined by city Needs Meets Exceeds Unacceptable Improvement | Expectations | Expectations Exemplary Supervisor Comments Areas of Strength: Fitzpatrick is a leader on the shift and displays professionalism beyond what is expected of an officer of her tenure. Her professionalism is a credit to both the shift and PPD as a whole. She is highly respected by her coworkers and the public. Supervisor Comments Areas for Growth: Needs Meets Exceeds Score Job Performance: Supervisor Comments Areas of Strength: Fitzpatrick's job performance is above what is expected of someone of her tenure. Her reports, affidavits, and work products are completed a high level, with excellent quality. Her criminal investigative skills are above average. Supervisor Comments Areas for Growth: Average Score: Name of Employee Six Month Evaluation Month/Year

My signature below is an acknowledgment that my supervisor and | have gone over this evaluation. | have had an opportunity to provide input. | acknowledge that my signature does not indicate agreement with the evaluation. Alicia Fitzpatrick osszbieinzs738829-207 (employee signature) 12/23/2019 (department head signature) (date) Name of Employee Six Month Evaluation Month/Year