OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Meet Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Justin Raes, and his partner in fighting crime, NSP police dog, Chase.
“I spend more time with that dog than my own family,” Raes said. “She’s at home with me, she works with me, we go to countless calls together.”
Raes and Chase primarily serve the Omaha metro area, but there is nowhere in the Cornhusker State the two haven’t traveled.
“Being a dog handler and a member of our SWAT team, we travel everywhere,” Raes said. “I’ve gone to the South Dakota border, to the Kansas border, all the way to the Colorado and Wyoming border.”
Raes and service go hand-in-hand. Out of high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“I wanted something that would push me mentally and physically. Something that I could learn from and something that I felt would help me with my life experiences,” he said.
The Council Bluffs native served four years, including a deployment to Afghanistan.
He then extended his service eight more months to take part in a Marine Expeditionary Unit in Djibouti right when the threat from ISIS was increasing.
“I truly enjoyed what I did in the Marine Corps, but I wanted to get out and start a family,” Raes said. “I still wanted to continue my service just more direct with my community.”
He says the transition from the military to the NSP was seamless.
“Specifically, as a dog handler and on the SWAT team. The two positions really correlate to that military service.”
Service runs in the family.
His grandfather served in the Air Force, and his father served in the Navy.
His youngest brother Parker is currently serving in the Air Force.
Justin’s middle brother, Matt, is also a state trooper in Iowa; a dog handler just like Justin.
“The Iowa State Patrol sends their handlers to our camp initially to get certified so Matt came out and I was actually able to work with him a little bit when he went through camp, and occasionally we will train together,” Justin said. “It’s a very unique experience that very few get to work with their siblings in such a niche role.”
There are roughly twenty police dogs paired with handlers between the two state agencies.
Two of them are the brothers, stationed across the river from each other in Council Bluffs and Omaha.
Justin says Matt’s police dog, Pape, is bigger but Chase is much quicker.
Justin and chase showed me firsthand how incredible of a team they make.
Chase is getting older, though, and retirement isn’t far out. Until that day comes Justin and Chase will be doing all they can to keep Nebraskans safe.
When Chase does retire, she will still live with Justin but will have a much more relaxing life.
Recently Matt’s K9 Pape got a new bulletproof and stabproof armored vest, thanks to a donation made by a local business.
Both Iowa and Nebraska State Patrol Police Service Dog Units rely on donations for equipment and other needs. Donations can be made to NSP’s Police Service Dog Unit by emailing nspfoundation@gmail.com.
Contributions may also be sent by mail. You can find the address and more information about the program by clicking here.
