CANINE SHOW NOSE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

LUMBERTON -- As two New Jersey men drove south on Interstate 95 in a Ford
minivan, the flashing blue lights of a sheriff's patrol car signaled them
to stop.

For Levi Webb Jr. and Ennis Bush, the two men in the car, a dog named
Kwinty would be anything but their best friend.

Kwinty was summoned after Webb refused an officer's request to search the
van. Kwinty quickly alerted to a front passenger door, informing drug Agent
J.O. Hunt and Cpl. Bobby Ray where they would find marijuana.

The agents eventually found 37 pounds of marijuana with a street value of
about $50,000 in two secret compartments. The Jan. 30 drug bust was
Kwinty's sixth of the month.

Webb and Bush were arrested and charged with multiple felony drug crimes.

"Without Kwinty, we would have never found that marijuana, because the
driver refused our search request," said Ray, the top dog handler for the
Sheriff's Office. "They would have been free to go."

When Kwinty alerted, that gave officers probable cause to search the car.

The Belgian Malinois' six drug finds are indicative of the contributions of
the Sheriff's Office's newly revamped Canine Division, according to Sheriff
Glenn Maynor. And Kwinty is helping pay for her services and the Sheriff's
Office's four other dogs.

Kasper and Rico, who specialize in narcotics and tracking, have combined
for 14 drug finds this year.

Three dogs were bought last year, bringing the total to five. Four of them
are trained to bite if they have to take down a suspect. Three are
narcotics-sniffing dogs and another sniffs out bombs.

Maynor said the office has reached its goal of having a canine available 24
hours a day.

"We're more equipped to deal with all types of situations, like drugs,
bombs and tracking missing people or suspects," he said. "With the threat
of 9/11 in mind, we felt we should purchase a dog that is trained in
detecting bombs."

According to sheriff's Maj. Robert Ivey, who is chief of operations and in
charge of the Canine Division, the narcotics dogs cost $7,500 each and the
explosives dog $10,000.

He said that the dogs, training for the dogs and their handlers, and food
and housing for the dogs are paid for with money the office has received
from drug-forfeiture cases.

Four of the dogs have a full-time handler, a deputy who is trained to work
with the dog, Ivey said. He said the dogs live in doghouses at their
handlers' homes.

Joe, a 5-year-old bloodhound primarily used for tracking, rotates handlers
between Lt. James Hunt, Sgt. Reggie Strickland and Detective Howard Branch,
Ivey said. The other four dogs are Belgian Malinois that the Sheriff's
Office buys from Beck's Canine Service in Wilmington.

Rico, a 7-year-old narcotics and tracking dog, is the oldest. He will be
retiring from duty in June and his handler, Ray, plans to take the
opportunity to buy Rico for $1.

Ivey said canines are typically retired because of age and health problems.
He said Rico has developed arthritis, along with other health problems. He
said the Sheriff's Office plans to replace Rico with another Belgian Malinois.

Rex specializes in explosives and tracking. Deputy Kevin Graham is his handler.

Kwinty and Kasper, who were bought in November, are the newest members of
the pack. Deputy Bobby Farnsworth is the handler for Kwinty and Deputy Joe
Cain is Kasper's handler.

Ivey said the dogs are required to participate in at least eight hours of
training at least once a month.

Ray said the dogs also are trained once a month in Wilmington by Kevin
Beck, who is the owner of Beck's K-9 Service and is a master trainer.

"We hope to become involved in the United States Police Canine Association
competition to help them train," Ray said.

Ray said that the competition would allow the dogs to compete against other
canines nationwide in tracking, narcotics, and explosives techniques and
would help the handlers to gain better control of their dogs.

They're worth their weight in gold," Ivey said.