Handler: Quincy Grabau
Department: Plymouth Police Department
Breed: German Shepherd
DOB: 4/26/2016
Function: Narcotics Detection and Patrol
Years Worked: 1/2019 – 1/2026

Since June of 2019, Romeo has been deployed over 300 times to locate people, illegal narcotics, and items of evidence. Romeo has located over 35 individuals – including individuals wanted for domestic violence, burglary, aggravated robbery, assaults on police officers, motor vehicle theft, and fleeing in a motor vehicle. On Romeo’s first night working patrol, he found a suspect committing a commercial burglary in the city of Champlin.

Romeo received letters of recognition in two instances for finding a felony level domestic assault suspect and two suspects hiding together inside of a port-a-potty who were wanted for felony flee in a motor vehicle, motor vehicle theft, and carjacking. Romeo located an elderly person in crisis who had walked away from their living facility, as well as an endangered child who ran away from home.

Romeo also successfully located three suicidal individuals. In one instance, Romeo tracked a subject through a townhome complex, along a walking path, along railroad tracks, and into a wooded area where the subject had tried to hide after actively harming himself. The subject was located and emergency medical care was given – including the application of tourniquets. Romeo received the department’s Life Saving Award for this incident. The subject later contacted the police department and shared his gratitude for saving his life.

Romeo located over a dozen firearms, with most leading to felony charges and obtaining convictions. Romeo located other items of evidence that, without being found, no arrests/charges/convictions would have been achieved – including cell phones, discarded cash registers, duffel bags containing narcotics, burglary tools, clothing, shoes, keys, and so on. Following a stabbing in Plymouth, Romeo searched an area approximately two acres in size and found a folding knife that the suspect attempted to conceal by stepping on it into the ground.

Romeo was deployed on several calls involving illegal narcotics and his work led to several seizures of narcotics leading to felony arrests. During a deployment where a fugitive from the Department of Corrections was arrested, Romeo crawled under an SUV and alerted to the undercarriage for the odor of narcotics. A search of the vehicle revealed a hidden compartment underneath the spare tire that contained over two pounds of methamphetamine.

Romeo has deployed in six counties (Hennepin, Anoka, Ramsey, Dakota, Wright and Scott).
Romeo has deployed in over 30 different cities (including but not limited to Plymouth, Wayzata, Medina, Orono, Mound, Minnetonka, Maple Grove, New Hope, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, Edina, Bloomington, Richfield, Jordan, Champlin, Anoka, Corcoran, Rogers, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Blaine, Fridley, Coon Rapids, St Louis Park, and Dayton).

Romeo has taken part in over 120 hours of community engagement including parades, children’s events, church groups, DARE demonstrations, Citizen’s Academy, Night to Unite, and High School/College career fairs.