K-9 COP RICCO SNIFFING OUT HONORS

Police Sgt. Daniel Cliff's crime-fighting partner, Ricco, is faster
than the speediest criminal, strong enough to tackle a burly-armed
bandit and able to leap a police cruiser in a single bound.

But what separates the 2 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois from other
dogs is not speed or tenacity; it's his award-winning nose.

And while Cliff may be Ricco's best friend, the police dog can be the
worst enemy of those who carry drugs in their vehicles or try to flee
from a crime scene.

This week, Ricco bested 16 other East Tennessee police dogs in a
multi-disciplinary competition. The dogs were tested in seven
categories, including narcotics location, tracking, building searches
and apprehending fleeing suspects.

Ricco finished first in five of the seven disciplines and was the
clear overall winner.

The other Morristown Police Department dog in the competition, Eryck,
finished second in the competition. Officer Billy Gulley trains Eryck.

The competition involved dogs from the Tennessee Valley Authority
Police and from Knox, Grainger, Anderson and Hawkins counties.

The two Belgian Malinoises, which were imported from Holland, are
specially bred for police work. But it's training - and not bloodline
- - that makes a top-flight police dog, according to Cliff.

"All the dogs we saw (in the competition) were good, but they might
not have had as much time training," the police sergeant said.

"It helps when you have a good dog, but you could take a dog that
might not be as good as the other ones, and if you put a lot of
training into him, he can be just as good as any other dog," Cliff
added. "Sometimes I spend more time with my dog than I do with my
family."

From outside a vehicle, the dogs can detect even trace amounts of
marijuana, methamphetamine, and powder and crack cocaine.

Trained police dogs cost thousands, but in the 15 months Ricco and
Eryck have been riding with Cliff and Gulley, they've paid for
themselves several times over.

The dogs have been responsible for the confiscation of approximately
$16,000 in cash, 11 vehicles, 1,200 pounds of marijuana and four
pounds of cocaine. And at about 17 in dog years, they haven't even
reached the prime of life.