SEBASTIAN — Sebastian police officer Roy Cole sees his and trusty canine partner Yoda’s success in apprehending five burglary suspects as just another day at work.
“We were just doing our job,” he said, widely grinning Saturday, at the First Responder Recognition Dinner hosted by the American Legion Post 189.
But to the 80 or so guests, their actions have a huge impact on the community.
“We honor the first responders who run towards the problem instead of away from it,” said Ed Motyka, a retired Air Force pilot and legion member who organized the event pegged to a remembrance of all first responders and the fallen from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “We want to honor them for what they do every day. They are here to protect us from harm. If anything happens, they are the first ones to give us a hand.”
That was certainly the case with Cole, who along with German shepherd Yoda, tracked down five suspects during a rash of car thefts in Sebastian during the summer of 2012. Yoda tracked the scents of the suspects as well as the skin cells that deposited in their trail.
Yoda, who recently retired due to a heart issue, sniffed out the perpetrators, with partner Cole by his side.
The two trained for over 400 hours, and worked the K-9 unit as partners over the last four years. Cole is one of four canine handlers in the Sebastian Police Department.
Cole is training with a new partner, a Belgian Malinois named Odie, while Yoda is living out his retirement in Cole’s home.
Cole and Yoda worked as part of the K9 unit, pulling regular 10-hour shifts four days a week. The bond is practically indescribable.
“I don’t have children,” he said. “Yoda is basically my child.”
Yoda’s admirers inquired about his whereabouts.
“He’s chilling and waiting for me to come home,” Cole said. “If I brought him tonight, I would’ve never gotten him out of the kitchen!”
Police Chief J. Michelle Morris watched proudly as one of her department’s 37 officers accepted a plaque from the American Legion.
“He’s a go-getter and highly energetic,” she said. “The newer officers look up to him.”
Morris said there were several hundred car thefts during the April-through- September period last year.
Many cars were unlocked and she couldn’t stress enough the importance of people being more vigilant about locking their vehicles.
Morris noted the appropriate timing of a dinner honoring the Sebastian first responder so close to the anniversary of Sept. 11.
“Every year for 9/11 ceremonies, the veterans recognize officers and the officers recognize the veterans,” she explained in a roomful of veterans.
“Because we have a lot in common. We’re not in war zones, but we are fighting crime for our citizens. When 9/11 happened, people really began to understand what first responders did,” she said. “It was a defining moment.”
Each November a police officer in Sebastian is recognized as First Responder of the Year for outstanding achievement.
Bagpiper Michael Hyde also was acknowledged for his outstanding community service for dedicating his time and talents for various ceremonies, including the annual 9/11 ceremony at Riverside Park. This year some 400 people attended the ceremony which was cut short by rain.
But Saturday night 80 members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sons of the American Legion, Legion Riders and Italian-American Club focused on the local first responder Cole, while dining on roast beef, potatoes au gratin and salad at tables set with red and blue paper placemats and vases with tiny red plastic flowers.
Motyka, chairman of the legion’s Americanism Committee, spent 31 years in the Air Force as a pilot.
“Keep vigilant so it does not happen again,” he said. “We hire people to keep us safe, keep things on even keel and they are there, first responders, and they are making us comfortable to be Americans.”
