Today police intelligence led them to the Lord's Ridge Cemetery where the canine unit was turned loose to make a quite stunning discovery. Keith Swift tells us what that was.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The Lord's Ridge Cemetery, it should be a place of final rest. Rundown? Maybe. Overgrown? Yes. But sacred in its own way, or at least it should be. So what's a dog doing lying in this burial place? Well he's not looking for his dead owner; this dog, Dixon, is the senior member of the Canine Unit and he's looking for drugs. Yes, drugs that someone has been hiding in the cemetery.
Sgt. Alford Grinage, CIU
“We got information that drugs was stored in the tombs in the cemetery area here. So myself and my team from CIU along with the canine unit came out here and conducted a search in the tombs which resulted in the discovery of these cannabis along with a few ammunition.”
Jules Vasquez,
So who stores the drugs here and why?
Sgt. Alford Grinage,
“Well I can’t say but what we think is it belongs to people within the area and they are scared to either keep it at their home, because police might go there and find it, so they decide to come and hide it in the tombs.”
In the tombs and the tall grass that acts as a border between the cemetery and the un-named back streets of the nearby Collet Division, Dixon did his digging and came up with 3.5 pounds of marijuana. His keen sense of smell saved officers hours of work in the field.
Brent Hamilton, Canine Unit
“It takes almost 3 to 4 days for police officers to come here and physically try to inspect this whole ground. When you have the required services of the canine he will come here and he can indicate 5 to 10 different areas in one hour and that’s what happened today. So what happened today is just a way of showing people, and we are trying to send out a drug awareness message, that wherever you put it we will come and get it.”
Jules Vasquez,
Will Dixon receive any special reward for the fine work he has done here today?
Brent Hamilton,
“Well Dix’s reward is I’m still being his lover and his friend. And whenever he finds or indicates any odor like drugs, today he found drugs and ammunition, he gets a treat and it is his toy. And today I will make sure that I mix up a nice good food for him so that he can remember that whenever he goes out and find something for his handler, he will be getting a reward.”
A well deserved reward for this hard working canine cop.
‘Dixon the dog detective’ led police to 3.5 pounds of marijuana and nine 22 shells.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited for the internet by Keith Swift