Drug search dog, trained by Acrosec UK Ltd, joins Texas police.
Promising rookie drug search dog 'T.J.' (provided by Acrosec UK Ltd) and his handler are currently being put to work in Abeline, Texas by one of our trainers. This has attracted much media and press interest and below are a press article and an extract of footage from the media article
Quote:
The new guy, or rather new dog, TJ, is just starting his training for the Taylor County Sheriff's Department, and already he's earning high praise.
"I've seen TJ in action, he is spot on, he is full of energy," says Sgt. Chris Wourinen, head of the K-9 Division for the Sheriff's Department. "He's doing fantastic in training, the trainer has said nothing but good things about our dog."
"TJ took off, and he is quite driven for that smell of narcotics, so far," says his handler, Deputy Chris Ortiz.
It's been some time since the Sheriff's Department last had a K-9 on the force, and that's why everyone is very excited about TJ. "It's going to be a big morale booster, we like having a dog around," says Sgt. Wourinen.
"The Sheriff is very excited about this program," says Lt. David Doherty. He goes on to add that Sheriff Bruce's experience as a former narcotics agent, he recognises the benefits this will bring to the Department.
While other K-9s are typically used for tracking and officer safety, this yellow lab will be trained solely for narcotics. "The benefit that we're looking for is obviously getting narcotics off the street," says Lt. Doherty.
Already, TJ has been training hard, searching out planted drugs in lockers and a scratch box. The scratch box, as Lt. Doherty explains, is a large box with compartments that, "Is designed for the K-9 to pinpoint the exact location of where the narcotics are located."
TJ did exactly that, picking out the exact box where his toy was hidden. He even found the planted drugs in a closed locker immediately after entering the room. Which brought a smile to everyone in the room as they talked with pride at the young pup's progress.
The Sheriff's Department adds that they are fortunate to be getting TJ, and they are even able to pay for the dog by using asset forfeitures, or drug money seized off the streets.
While TJ continues to train, Lt. Doherty says it'll be 2 to 3 weeks before the new dog will be able to hit the street, but already they are expecting big things.