8.15.24 – Sgt Justin Kribs – K-9 Unit Officer, Grand Rapids Police Department

Speaker Topic: Sgt Kribs will discuss the duties of K-9 dogs including searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, protecting officers and other people, and attacking suspects who flee from officers. He will also describe the various dog breeds police departments use and why.

BIO:

Sgt. Justin Kribs has been with the Grand Rapids Police Department since the spring of 2008.  He was assigned to Patrol and then joined the Canine Unit in 2012.  He worked his first canine partner, Bobby, from 2012 to 2018.  After Bobby retired, Officer Kribs trained his current partner, Eli.

In February of 2023, Officer Kribs was promoted to Sergeant and took over the Canine unit in July of 2023.  Sgt. Kribs supervises 7 other canine teams, as well as still works K9 Eli.  K9 Eli was injured in November of 2022 when he was stabbed by an assailant during a standoff.  Eli was able to return to full duty only a couple of months after his injury.