K-9 UNITS DEMONSTRATE SKILLS AT SCHOOL

OAK HILL - The drive in front of Collins Middle School was awash in police
vehicles Wednesday, and three K-9 units were present as well, but the
occasion was not a drug raid, only a demonstration. Principal Dave Perry
said the event was staged at Collins because "we've had a very close
working relationship with the (Fayette County) Sheriff's Department and
with Officer (Mike) Fridley, and that relationship was established through
the police visitation program."

Sheriff's Deputy Fridley recently became the second county officer to
specialize in K-9 tactics, joining Deputy Micah Feltner, who has been with
the department several years.

"In July, we began a community fund-raiser to finance the purchase of an
additional K-9 unit for the department," Sheriff Bill Laird said.

"In a period of about three weeks, we received contributions from 44
separate businesses and individuals ... that provided adequate monies for
the full purchase of an additional K-9 unit."

Laird said the new team will work in conjunction with some of the
department's school safety initiatives in addition to general patrol and
drug work.

Wednesday's demonstration also involved a K-9 unit from Logan County, which
recently went through the training process.

Several police officers, along with some Collins school staff, watched as
the dogs sniffed marijuana and OxyContin out of lockers, found a weapon on
the school lawn and demonstrated response to spoken commands.

Fridley and his dog, Niko, trained at Augusta K-9 in Virginia, Laird said,
adding that Feltner and his dog, Sid, went through a rectification session
as well.

The animals are able to sniff out marijuana, cocaine, crack,
methamphetamines, heroin, OxyContin and Lortab - "all the various
contemporary illegal drugs," Laird said. "In addition to that, the dog is
cross-trained in tracking, so it will be of some benefit to us in search
and rescue missions."

Mike Munson, who runs the Augusta center, said the training process varies,
but it begins with choosing the right dog, "socializing" it to its ultimate
environment, such as schools, and pairing it with the right partner.

"(It requires) getting the right officer with the right temperament to work
the dog because they have to work together as a team," Munson said.

Fridley said the first two weeks of the month-long Augusta training program
were spent not only in the various training techniques, but in bonding with
the dog.

"Getting to know how each other works, getting to know each other, making
that bond together," Fridley said.

"He becomes your partner, he becomes your friend. When I get up in the
morning and put my duty belt on and go out the door to go to work, I go out
and get Niko, and he gets ready and like puts his uniform on and gets ready
to go to work. And when I'm home, it's time for us to play and take it easy."