Today one of my dog handlers and I had a long talk about the frustrations of not being a part of the sheriff’s office search and rescue teams. She asked me, “why I separated myself and went private?”. I’ve had several folks ask me this question so I’ll try to answer this.
From 1972 through 1997, (25 years) I worked within the law enforcement’s resources to do the best job I could. After working as a search and rescue coordinator for the sheriff’s office along with my military background as well as, at that time- 11 years of K9 SAR experience, I was seeing a pattern form where I in good conscience couldn’t standby any more and keep my mouth shut to be one of the “Good old boys”.
I was trained to do search and rescue the right way. By some old sheriff’s and SAR Folks who knew what they were doing. Here’s what I was taught.
When a call came in regarding a missing person, I would send a deputy out to confirm that this was a legit call.
They would make sure we (the sheriff’s office) had the right person identified as missing. They would also see if there was any foul play or if this was just a “Runaway” issue.
SAR cost money and by determining these factors early on, this could save the department lots of time and money.
Once we established that this was a legitimate call, while the deputy was gathering personal information on the missing person, name, date of birth, medical records, medical history, mental history, work, school, family structure history, the physical identifiers such as height, hair color and length, eye color, did this person wear glasses or contacts, smoke or not smoke, drugs or no drugs, alcohol or no alcohol involved, clothing description, type of clothing last seen in. Their weight, physical identifiers, etc, the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the case info.
I would then send in a search dog team to determine the following:
Is this really a missing person’s case or a homicide or suicide? Does it support the reporting persons statement or contradict it?
The search dog team if properly trained, can determine if this person was murdered and the scene was being compromised by the suspect(s) involved to cover up the murder.
I’ve helped solved several murders like this over the year. The Carlson’s in Battleground, Little Tommy Gibson who we were able to determine was killed by his father who was a deputy sheriff in Douglas County, Ore. And several others.
Anyway, if there are no signs of foul play, stress or death scent in and around the home, and point last seen.
Then the search dog team would determine (track the missing persons scent trail and determine if the victim walked on their own in a specific direct and got into a vehicle, on a bus, or was killed and their body ditched in the area or removed out of the area.
Depending on the search dog teams findings, I could then direct the detectives on how I would suggest they proceed from this point on. By then the police detectives would know
If this was a willful disappearance, or a kidnapping homicide case. Both need to be investigated very differently.
Do we bring in helicopters, more search dogs, cadaver dog teams, air scent teams, ground teams, and where do we use them. Do we set up containment?
By doing this I documented with the sheriff’s department a 97% success rate of finding the victim or finding out what really happened to the victim.
The bottom line is that I used my resources as I was trained to do properly.
Throughout the 25 years I learned that if I kept my mouth shut and turned the other way when a police dept screwed up and didn’t use their resources properly costing the missing person their life, I would be in with the “Good old boys” and all was well with the world.
At first of course when I saw this happen, I would complain to my superiors and they would just say, “Well Oakes, shit happens, it’s out of our control”.
I would argue that this needed to be changed so we, “the good old boys”, who were sworn to serve and protect” would provide the most professional teams and services to the public.
I would argue that we owed it to the missing person and his / her family and friends to do everything right.
After seeing several people lose their life because a certain sheriff’ refused to use a search dog or call in proper resources and it was all being covered up, I had had enough. Especially with the Nathen Madsen and Derrick Englebretson Case in Klamath County, Ore.
I could no longer just sit by and keep my mouth shut.
That’s why I then testified in the Oregon Legislature against the very departments I worked with and why I was promptly kicked out of the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and State of Washington Dept of Emergency Management as an official resource.
I found that these sheriffs office SAR teams badmouthed me to make themselves look better. They badmouthed me to other sheriff’s depts., the victims families in hopes the victim’s family wouldn’t use me so that I wouldn’t show up the departments by finding the missing person when the police couldn’t or wouldn’t.
I still respect most law enforcement officials and their work. It’s a hard difficult job.
I respect the men and women who wear the badge. It’s when they abuse their authority that I have an issue and will stand up and take them on legally.
So after I went private in 1997, 13 years ago, I’ve found I have much more latitude as a private search team. Of course I have to obey all state laws and local rules and regulations regarding search and rescue, handling of evidence, and human remains etc.
But I also found out that many sheriffs feel threatened by my successes and have taken over the media controlling what the public hears about a specific case.
I can’t change that, nor will I. But what I do have control of is my own ethics and standards.
I still conduct my search and rescue operations with 100% documentation and ethics. This has protected me legally in and outside the courts of law. I’ve been able to bring closure or at least some answers to over 1,605 families. Through consulting as well as through actual search missions.
Most sheriffs appreciate my work. When they call me in, and some still do.
I work for them and make them look good.
If they refuse to call me in and we come in privately on behalf of the victim(s) family, I will do my job, report to the sheriff my findings, and if they become embarrassed because we found the victim in the original search area when their teams didn’t, couldn’t or wouldn’t, that’s not my issue, it’s theirs.
So do I regret my decision to go private?
No, I sleep well at night knowing that I’m giving the victim (missing person) and their family 100%.
No cover ups, no Good old boy BS, just the 100% work ethics I took an oath to perform and still live by today.
I get results and that’s all that matters.
Some of these sheriff’s could learn a lot by my methods. If they really wanted to.
So now maybe you as the general public can understand why I work privately and am not well liked by some departments.
If I wasn’t successful, I would be out of work. I’m still doing this job after 38 years.
So I guess what I’m doing works.
Respectfully
Mr. Oakes
Private Search and Rescue Coordinator
International K9 Search and Rescue Services
www.k9sardog.com
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