OFFICERS FIND HELP FROM CANINE PARTNERS

'This Town Deserves The Best Police Protection They Can Get.'

Chief Herbert Blake

LORIS - Nora's enthusiasm for her new police job shows every time Officer
Jeff Gore looks her way.

The 21/2-year-old Belgium Malinois wags her tail and prances her front paws
in a dancelike gesture when Gore speaks a command to her.

Nora, a nationally certified narcotics detection dog, is the newest officer
with the Loris Police Department. And her Feb. 10 arrival makes Gore happy
to once again have a four-legged partner by his side.

Gore was the department's first dog handler in 2002 when the department
acquired Dixie, a black Labrador. But less than a year after her arrival,
Dixie died of natural causes.

Even though the department is small - 19 officers including Nora and her
tracking counterpart, Lucy, a full bred blood-hound - Chief Herbert Blake
said having two dogs increases the chances that drug offenders will be caught.

"Even though we're small, we feel we can be as professional and as well
trained as any in the state," Blake said. "This town deserves the best
police protection they can get, and that's what we're trying to do."

Funding typically dictates if a department has a canine unit and how many
dogs it can afford.

But Loris hit the jackpot with Nora.

The dog was donated by RAID Corps Inc., a private Spartanburg-based company
that provides canines to conduct drug searches at schools and other
businesses. The business was founded by Jay Russell, a former state
trooper, who could not be reached for comment.

"It's a small town, and the budget is limited," said Ken Elliott, who
handles Lucy.

"But [having two canines] put us on the map for a level of protection this
town has never seen."

Lucy was rescued from the Horry County Animal Shelter and certified in
June, Elliott said.

Dogs like Nora and Lucy carry an expensive price tag in addition to their
training and required certifications.

Other expenses include special vehicles to house the dog for transport,
veterinary bills, food and other necessary supplies.

Georgetown police had to retire the department's narcotic dog a couple of
years ago, and the money to replace it still has not been found, Sgt. Danny
Watson said.

"It's a budget constraint right now. There's just no funding," Watson said.

Many departments struggle with the requirements to establish a canine unit
while maintaining services for existing officers and the public. Larger
departments such as Myrtle Beach recently began their canine units and are
slowly expanding them to include dogs with different duties.

Horry County police, the county's largest department, was the first
department to start such a unit. It has had a drug dog since 1982, since
adding five bloodhound tracking dogs, Lt. Scott Rutherford said.

Increased drug activity and the need to stop it can spur departments to
deem the units a necessity, officials said.

"The methods of transportation [of drugs] are so complex and tricky,"
Rutherford said. "Short of taking a vehicle apart, a canine is the only
thing that can find [drugs] in a vehicle."

Dogs, like Nora, also give officers probable cause to obtain search
warrants for vehicles, homes and businesses after a dog has detected that
drugs could be inside, Rutherford said.

"They're priceless and worth their weight in gold," Rutherford said.