K-9 OFFICER EFFECTIVE IN WAR ON DRUGS

Editor's note: Reporter Beth Burger is among 14 Wisconsin Rapids-area
residents participating in the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department
Citizen's Academy. She'll share her experiences with weekly updates.

He's one of the most active and aggressive officers.

He's capable of finding a dismantled gun scattered in a
field.

He's incredibly handsome.

He's European.

And he also has four legs and a brown fur coat.

His name is Friday, and he is the drug dog for the Wood County
Sheriff's Department.

Friday, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, was born in Holland and became
an officer when he was about 1 year old. He helps rid Wood County and
surrounding areas of illegal drugs.

Aside from drug hunting, Friday and his partner, Deputy Ray Starks,
track people and missing articles.

As I sat in class Wednesday night, I watched him walk in the door and
find a stash of marijuana.

The stash wasn't in an obvious place. It wasn't taped under a chair or
desk. It was on top of a shelf in a safe, and yet this dog with his
sensitively trained nose found it in a few minutes.

I was impressed. I can't find my own keys half the
time.

Dogs like Friday come with a price tag of about $11,000. However,
their efficiency and success rates are worth the price.

Starks and Friday go beyond being partners. They are essentially
family.

"I see my dog more than I do my wife and children," said Starks, who
works eight-hour shifts.

And when Friday is ready to retire, he will continue to stay with
Starks.

"He's my partner. ... We don't break the bond when he retires," he
said.

But from the looks of Friday's demonstration, it doesn't look like
that will be anytime soon.

Wisconsin Rapids Police Detective Phyllis Wesener has her share of
experience in drug enforcement, which she has specialized in since
1992.

And after listening to her presentation and looking through her pile
of handouts, my classmates and I learned more about the effects and
consequences of illegal drugs.

Cocaine and marijuana are among the most common drugs in the Wisconsin
Rapids area.

That keeps Wesener busy. She said she has a hard time keeping up with
the number of cases these days.

There is also the growing problem of methamphetamine labs, which make
it difficult because they contaminate the area with toxic waste and
are made from a combination of household products.

Right now the going rate for a gram of meth is $100 in Wisconsin. And
for every pound of meth that is cooked, there is 5 to 7 pounds of
toxic waste produced.

But there is hope for those who are addicts. The county has a drug
court program, which rehabs these individuals and helps make them a
productive part of society once again.

Programs like this one saved the county $55,350 since the rehab
program began in October 2004.

And aside from financial savings, it's nice to know that local
government can save people's lives by helping them make better choices
and overcome an addiction.

Those who make it to programs like this are the lucky ones. There are
many who may never get that second chance.