Officer Jeff Appel and "CZAR" are with the Worthington, MN. police dept. He has been a police officer since 1998 and was hired by Worthington while still finishing his 4 year degree at Mankato State University. Czar and Jeff have been together since the fall of 1998. They were certified in May of 1999 ready to hit the streets. Czar is about 10 years old. Jeff is Czar's second handler. He came from a breeder in Colorado and was 2-3 years pre-trained. When the other handler took a job with another department in 1998, the two were teamed up. Czar is a cross trained dog. He does both narcotics detection and all aspects of criminal apprehension. Czar can also track lost children, and works with the SWAT team. In 2002 Jeff was honored with a distinguished service award for his work with the K-9 Unit. He has been a police officer since 1998.

Jeff's Dad, Sergeant Steve Appel who also lives in Worthington is a Vietnam Vet. He served as a grunt with the 27th Infantry Wolfhounds, 1st Battalion/Charlie Company in 1967/68 . He was stationed at CuChi base camp and involved in operations Junction City and Cedar Falls. Steve Appel is a contractor in the Worthington area.

27th Infantry Wolfhounds 67/68

1st Battalion/Charlie Company