2 POLICE AGENCIES SEEK CANINE RECRUITS

Police Departments At Virginia Tech And Radford Are Considering Adding Dogs
Trained To Search For Both Drugs And Missing People.

Two police departments in the New River Valley want to add four-legged
recruits to their rosters next year.

The Virginia Tech Police Department is already searching for a police dog
that would be cross-trained to sniff out narcotics and search through
buildings or for missing people.

The university has approved about $10,000 for the purchase, which would
include the cost of the dog and training for the animal and the officer
assigned to handle it, said Tech police Lt. Dave Whitehead.

Radford, meanwhile, is searching for donations that would offset the
estimated $42,000 startup costs to add a police dog, also cross-trained for
narcotics and searches, to its ranks. That figure includes about $31,000 in
optional equipment, such as a new patrol car for the dog and its handler,
said detective Chris Caldwell, who is coordinating the effort.

Caldwell began approaching the city's businesses and civic organizations
last week to solicit pledges for the endeavor, something that will allow
administrators to gauge the community's interest in having a police dog on
the force, Radford Chief Wes Terry said.

"I inherited a budget that I had no part in constructing, a budget that is
hard pressed to meet the day-to-day fiscal needs of our mission," Terry
said. "Bringing on a dog is something that seems best lent to a partnership
between the police department and the community. Rather than have this
program wait, we feel the need is now."

Both departments see police dogs as the next step in enhancing the quality
of their departments.

Caldwell said if Radford police need help in trailing a suspect from a
crime scene or searching for a missing person, they often wait more than 45
minutes for a dog and handler from a neighboring jurisdiction to arrive.

Tech Police Chief Debra Duncan said she hopes a dog will act as a deterrent
on campus and help boost the day-to-day communication between students,
faculty and police officers.

"It's not going to be used to track down students and attack them," Duncan
said. "But it will be a good tool to approach students, show them what the
dog can do and then continue talking with them."

Virginia Tech wants to have its dog purchased and ready for a 12-week
school scheduled to begin in January in Roanoke.

Radford, on the other hand, plans to sit down in January, tally up the
fund-raising figures and see if a dog is in the department's immediate future.

Anyone interested in donating to the Radford effort should contact Caldwell
at 731-3627.