Video: Local Business Trains Crime Fighters

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VERONA, MISS. (WCBI) -In back of the Lee County Agri Center, police dogs and their handlers are being put to the test.

In this scenario, a police officer from Panama City Beach Florida is playing the part of a robber, who is on the run, dropping items and eventually hides.

And just as he’s been trained, Gunner, who will soon be on patrol with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, finds the discarded items, then tracks and apprehends the suspect.

This session is part of a five week intensive course put on by Gary Dodds.

“We have a lot of classroom work, state and federal laws.We teach the officer everything he needs to know to get his K9 in service and on the street,” Dodds said.

Dodds runs the Tupelo based K9 Training Center and says the course starts with bonding between the officer and his dog.

Then different sites throughout the area are used, for obedience training, suspect tracking and drug search and seizure.

In this course, agencies from Northeast Mississippi and Florida are represented.Officers say the training prepares them for virtually any situation.

“K 9 is a tool, an asset for our department,if the dog, say if you have a bank robbery suspect, he’s in the woods, dog will go in and apprehend them, if the guy has a weapon, the dog will go in and try and take the weapon away from the guy,” said Andy Lockhart, with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.

“The focus is drug interdiction, tracking, patrol work but they can also be useful during Spring Break times, for crowd control as well,” said Craig Kelly, with the Panama City Beach Police Department.

There’s three more weeks of intensive training left, then the dogs will be tested, and certified.Then they will return to their jurisdictions, where they will protect, serve and help keep the peace.

The police dogs live with their handlers.Dodds also trains dogs for the public.For information about his programs, go to www.k9policetraining.com