New police dog shows off skills
Posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2006
BENTON COUNTY — After a six-week training course, the newest Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputy showed off his keen searchand-sniff skills Monday.
While members of the media and Sheriff’s Office representatives looked on, Azor, a 17-month-old Belgian Malinois, successfully identified a vehicle with 15 pounds of marijuana hidden inside.
Azor recently joined the Sheriff’s Office Drug Interdiction Team as its second canine deputy. Azor and his handler, Deputy James Walls, just returned from a training course in Kansas.
Two hours before the demonstration, Walls hid the marijuana in the van. "That’s what we would usually see in a large load in Benton County," he said. "In two hours, (Azor’s) alerting all over the vehicle."
Azor is trained to find drugs, missing children and evidence and to track suspects on the run. "He’s multi-trained," Sheriff Keith Ferguson said. "He is a drug dog. He’s also for children that run away from home, or Alzheimer’s patients. He’s a tracking dog."
If, on a routine traffic stop, Azor alerts his handler that drugs are inside the vehicle, the deputy will be able to search the vehicle. "To get inside of a vehicle, you either have to have consent or be able to see the drugs right there," he said. "If that dog alerts on a vehicle, then I’ve got probable cause."
The Sheriff’s Office and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office started trying to purchase a drug dog in October. Azor and his training were finally purchased — at the cost of $9,500 — with seized drug money. "I’m proud to say that we used money obtained through the legal system and forfeited to the state of Arkansas," Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Robin Green said. "(The dog) was not paid for by taxpayers, and it’s going to be a tremendous asset to the Sheriff’s Office and their constant efforts to stop drug dealers."
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