JCSO WELCOMES SECOND K-9 OFFICER

It has been long said that a dog is man's best friend. It could also be
said that a dog is man's best partner in combating drug related crime.

The Jones County Sheriff's Office has two new K-9 officers by the name of
Brutis and Cas. Brutis is a 5 year old German Shepherd and Cas is a 4 year
old Belgian Malinois.

"Brutis was donated to the sheriff's office and was already partially
trained from being with a previous law enforcement agency for what we need
him to do," said Stan Livingston, JCSO K-9 handler. "I had to go through a
10-week certification course in order for he and I to work together."

The training facility, South Mississippi Canine in Petal, trains police and
other law enforcement agency canines for the Laurel Police Department and
others throughout Mississippi.

Livingston said being teamed with a K-9 officer is something he has always
wanted to do.

"In a sense, they are just like having a human partner always with you," he
said. "Brutis already has numerous arrests to his credit since joining the
force a month or so ago."

Cas is a veteran of the Dallas, Texas Police Department. Including drug
busts from there and since he has been on patrol with the JCSO and the
Southeast Mississippi Drug Task Force, Cas has accounted for nine felony
drug convictions and found over a kilo of marijuana and crystal
methamphetamine.

"Cas is a very experienced K-9 officer," said Macon Davis, JCSO patrolman
and SMDTF agent. "It was easier to get recertified with him because he was
already trained in many of the procedures we used here."

Davis went on to say because Cas already was well trained, the transition
was very smooth.

This is Davis' second canine partner. His previous dog, Nero, didn't work
out as he had hoped.

"Sometimes the dogs just don't work out," Davis said. "That is not the
fault of the dog or the training or the handler. Dogs are just as different
as people. There are things they do well and there are things they don't do
as good. I think Cas will be just what we want in the type of operations we
are involved in."

Jones County Sheriff Larry Dykes said it is a comfort and a distinct
advantage to having two dogs at the JCSO's disposal.

"Stan is on shift a lot and if we need him, Macon can contribute with his
dog," Dykes said. "This gives us more opportunities to fight drugs in Jones
County."

Both K-9 officers live at the homes of their handlers. In that respect, and
as was pointed out by Livingston, they become a part of the family.

"It is like having another child around the house," he said. "But it is
nice to have them there. They are good with the kids."