ALBERTVILLE GETS SECOND DOG FOR DRUG DETECTION, TRACKING

ALBERTVILLE - Two wrongs don't make a right, but two dogs can make a good
stab at it.

The Albertville Police Department now has a second drug/tracking dog.

Officer John Thompson and Magnum are joining John Siggers and Recon. Both
German Shepherds are trained drug-detection and tracking dogs.

Police Chief Benny Womack said it has been one of his goals to have a drug
dog working both night shifts during prime drug-trafficking hours.

"Under Supreme Court rulings, if during a legitimate traffic stop an
officer suspects that drugs are being transported, he can take a certified
canine - that's the key word, certified - around the outside of the
vehicle," Womack said. "If the canine indicates there are drugs in the
vehicle, that is probable cause to search it."

The Police Department has been averaging 20 to 25 felony drug arrests per
month. "Those are handed over to the DEU (Marshall County Drug Enforcement
Unit) for prosecution," Womack said.

The Albertville Board of Education paid half the cost of the 2-year-old
dog, $1,750, and the Police Department paid the other half. The school
board chipped in because the dog will be used for random drug searches at
city schools.

Thompson and Magnum just finished a course at the Huntsville Canine Academy.

Thompson previously worked with dogs at the Marshall County Sheriff's
Department, where he has been for the past eight years.

The department's first drug dog, Recon, joined the force last spring.

Siggers' patrol vehicle was wrecked in August, and the City Council earlier
this month bought a used sport utility vehicle for him and Recon to use.

Honea Motors gave the city a discount on the vehicle, so the dealership's
name is emblazoned above the wheels.