K-9 collar: Riverhead officer and police dog credited for arrest in East Hampton Village

Riverhead Police K-9 handler John Doscinski knew his dog Vaki was on the trail of the suspect they were called to find in East Hampton the evening of Nov. 21 because Vaki was moving in a meandering pattern through backyards as he followed the scent.

“If it’s a dark, unlit area, a perp will go in the yard just about as far as they can until a security light’ll come on and they’ll come right back out again, ‘cuz they don’t know if it’s a security light or a guy turning the light on. When you see that with a dog you know you’re on the right guy because people don’t walk down the road and wander into people’s yards and meander back out,” Doscinski said.

The team was called to East Hampton after police responded to a resident’s report that he had interrupted a person who was trying to steal from vehicles that were parked outside his home. Having heard noises, the man went outside and confronted the thief. A scuffle ensued and the man punched the person, who then fled.

“The fight with the complainant was what stepped it up,” Doscinski said, so he, his dog and a Suffolk County Police helicopter were called to assist in the search, as East Hampton does not have its own K-9 unit.

The search had been underway for about an hour when Doscinski arrived with Vaki. They tracked the suspect for nearly a mile until he was forced out from behind a vacant house. Officers who had set up a perimeter apprehended him on the sidewalk.

“This was a great job by Officer Doscinski and Vaki to assist our neighbors to the east,” said Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller. “This is the way it is supposed to work – cooperating with nearby municipalities to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

East Hampton Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach, Jr. wrote a letter of gratitude to Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter on behalf of the village trustees and residents, saying, “The manner in which [Doscinski and Vaki] executed their duties and assisted our Village Police Department are commendable.”

East Hampton Village Police Chief Gerard Larsen, Jr. sent his own letter to Hegermiller commending the assist.

Doscinski has spent the last 19 of his 24 years as a Riverhead policeman working with the K-9 unit. Having been raised with dogs his whole life, it was always what he wanted to do once he joined the force, he said. Doscinski’s had three dogs, and Vaki will likely be his last. Approaching 50, he’ll relinquish his spot on the unit to a younger officer who will train and bond with their own dog after Vaki is retired in two or three years, he said.

According to Encyclopedia Brittanica’s website, Väki is the “supernatural power believed by the Baltic Finns to reside in those natural sites, objects, and animals that for various reasons attracted popular attention and inspired strong emotional attachments.” The dog was purchased in Hungary, one of the European countries where law enforcement dogs are often sourced because of the “stringent breeding” practiced in that part of the world, Doscinski said.

His name came with him. Doscinski was told it meant “the anointed one.” Vaki was already responding to it so he decided to keep it. At 5 years old, he’s responsible for several other successful searches and is highly trained, able to do anything an FBI dog can do, Doscinski said.

Every dog has his own style, he said. Vaki’s is energetic and driven. When he detects the person or object he’s looking for, there’s no mistaking the signals, Doscinski said.

“He starts tugging the leash, again and again, like it’s tied to a boat in the water. He lights up from head to tail,” he said.

He said the department’s two dogs are invaluable, capable of finding subjects that cops with all the rest of their equipment, including helicopters, sometimes can’t find.

“They’re an extension of the equipment we use,” he said.

Doscinski and Vaki will be presented with a citation for their performance at the Riverhead Town Board’s Jan. 7 meeting.