Rolinson
Christopher After nine years of service, K-9 police officer Jerd, 11, has retired. Officer Mike Belak, Jerd’s handler,
could turn the German shepherd from cute and cuddly—see above—to ferocious—see opposite page—
with just one word in Czech. Jerd was trained in Czech so that when on a call only one person would be able
to give him commands. As a sworn officer, Jerd had his own bulletproof vest and badge. Jerd’s retirement
plans include sleeping on the couch and playing ball.

In 2007, Jerd and Mt. Lebanon’s other
K-9 officer, Sundi, were used for 110 foot
patrols, 21 public relations and 13 crowd
control details, 20 tracks, seven building
searches and 11 narcotic searches. In
addition, the dogs assisted 13 area police
departments, the Pennsylvania State Police,
the Pennsylvania Department of Probation/
Parole and the U.S. Marshal Service with
searches, trackings and investigations.

Belak’s best memory of his partnership
with Jerd is a November 2002 incident
when they were called out at 3 a . m . to
track an armed robber. The track took
them through the freezing cold into pitch-
black underbrush. After a momentary
break to sniff some deer droppings, Jerd
narrowed in on the suspect and cornered
him besides a big tree. Jerd kept the
man at bay until backup arrived. But as
the police escorted the suspect past the
press to the police car, the suspect lunged
at Jerd, who lunged right back, biting the
man in the stomach. A few hours later,
Belak and Jerd arrived at a press con-
ference where, much to the reporters’
surprise, this “ferocious” dog rolled on to
his back and wagged his tail.

“That story encapsulates this dog.”
Belak says. “He is intense and hardwork-
ing, but then the switch goes off and he’s
relaxed.” Jerd’s retirement plans include playing
ball and sleeping at his new home with
Steve Kiray, a Medical Rescue Team South
Authority paramedic who owns several
search and rescue dogs. Belak would love
to keep Jerd, but it is not a good fit for his
young family.

There are no immediate plans to replace
Jerd. Mt. Lebanon still has Sundi, 6, who
has several years of service left in him, and
there are dogs the department could bor-
row. “We were among the first to get a dog,
but now a lot of neighboring communities
have them,” says Truver. Those commu-
nities include Baldwin Borough, Bethel
Park, Castle Shannon, Scott Township and
Carnegie. In addition, the city, the sheriff’s
office and the port authority have service
dogs. But Belak knows he will have another dog
some day. “This is my passion.” he says.

“Nothing I’ve done in the police depart-
ment has given me more satisfaction.”
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Coffey Contracting Co.

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continued
Lisan Dustevich is St. Clair Hospital’s director, phy-
sician practice management and ancillary services.

S t. Clair Hospital has named Lisan
Dustevich to the newly created position
of director, physician practice management
and ancillary services. In the new position,
Dustevich will be a liaison between the
hospital and new physicians’ practices
and will coordinate their integration into
St. Clair. Prior to joining St. Clair Hospital,
Dustevich was with West Penn Allegheny
Health System in Pittsburgh…Coldwell
Banker Real Estate Services appointed
Virginia Montgomery as office manager
for its Galleria office. This is Montgomery’s
second stint as The Galleria office’s man-
ager—she held the position several years
ago before taking the office manager
position at Coldwell Banker’s Sarasota,
Florida offices. Montgomery will manage
the office’s sales team and the day-to-day
operations of the sales office.

L ynn Smith, owner of Interior Artistry,
a home staging and interior redesign
firm based in Pittsburgh, was recognized
for Best Redesigned Living Room/Family
Room at the Interior Redesign and Staging
Industry Specialists (IRIS) 2008 National
Conference and Industry Expo in San
Diego. Smith, a certified interior redesigner
and home staging expert, has been rede-
signing homes in Pittsburgh since 1993.

She has appeared on several segments of
the HGTV program Decorating Cents.

56 mtl • january/february 2009