CAMDEN SHERIFF, COMMISSIONERS SPAR OVER K-9 UNIT

CAMDEN - Sheriff Tony Perry wants to use most of a $14,000 grant to buy a
dog that can sniff out cocaine and other illegal drugs, but Commissioner
Melvin Jeralds would rather spend the money on more deputies.

The Board of Commissioners listened to Perry's pitch for a K-9 unit at its
meeting earlier this week, then postponed a decision until Nov. 17.

"I think we need more people on the sheriff's department," Jeralds told
Perry. "I think you said we needed three more (deputies). I've got
reservations about spending (money) for a dog. I think we could use this
$14,000 for something else."

Perry, however, says the grant money can't be spent on hiring new officers,
and the top official from the agency that awarded the grant agrees.

Bryan E. Beatty, secretary of the state Department of Crime Control and
Public Safety, said the grant, which requires Camden to spend $1,556 of its
own funds, can be used to buy equipment or fund overtime pay for current
employees.

Because Beatty's agency awarded the grant to Camden, however, commissioners
have a say in how the monies are spent.

Perry estimates the costs of both the dog he hopes to purchase - a Belgian
Malinois - and training for both the dog and its handler would be $8,000.
The grant would cover not only that cost, but also the cost of outfitting a
patrol car with a police dog cage so the dog can be transported.

The remaining grant money would be spent, Perry says, on dog food and deputy
overtime through the end of the fiscal year in June. After then, the county
would have to pay for the dog's food and other costs.

Perry said a K-9 unit probably "would end up paying for itself" if the
sheriff's department is able to use the dog to make significant drug busts.
That's because in North Carolina, the state taxes illegal drugs after
they're seized, and then sends 80 percent of the revenue - referred to as a
"tax stamp'' - to the law enforcement agency that made the seizure.

"We recently got a tax stamp for $1,000 for a drug bust," Perry said.

Kill Devil Hills police Lt. Mike Jasielum said his department recoups at
least $10,000 in tax stamps annually by using its drug dog. In doing so, the
KDH department earns more money than it pays to keep the dog, he said.

The amount of revenue from tax stamps depends on the dog's handler, Jasielum
said. If the officer isn't aggressive at enforcing drug laws, a K-9 program
won't work, he said.

Jeff Jennings, chairman of the Camden Board of Commissioners, said a K-9
officer with the Elizabeth City Police Department recently told him drug
busts can be lucrative for law enforcement agencies.

"I was shocked at the amount of money counties get with tax stamps,"
Jennings said.

Jennings, who supports Perry's pitch for the K-9 unit, said he's heard that
a significant volume of illegal drugs passes through Camden along U.S.
Highway 17.

"U.S. 17 is considered the drug traffic highway on the East Coast," Jennings
said.

Most shipments of illegal drugs used to take place along Interstate 95,
Jennings said. Because law enforcement has intensified its efforts on the
highway, however, more drug couriers now travel U.S. 17.

Despite Jennings' support, other commissioners appear hesitant to sign on to
Perry's plan.

Commissioner Clayton Riggs said he's concerned that a K-9 unit could turn
out to be more costly than Perry suggests. Riggs says a K-9 officer, once he
becomes a certified dog handler, could use that certification to leave
Camden and get a job somewhere else.

"Then we have to pay for training another handler," Riggs said.

Jeralds, who voiced the most objection to Perry's proposal, pointed out that
the sheriff can always request the help of K-9 units from neighboring law
enforcement agencies.

"If you need a dog, I think you can call the Elizabeth City Police
Department and I'm sure they'll send it," Jeralds said. "It's nice to have
(a dog) if we had plenty of money. But we're faced with other things."

But Perry said the ECPD isn't always able to send a drug-sniffing dog when
he needs one.

"My priority right now is fighting the drug war and protecting our kids," he
said.