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Area 30 students get visit from a police dog
By LAUREN BOUCHER
Staff Writer
The local-based American Maintrailing Police and Work Dog Association paid a visit to Area 30 Career Center on Friday afternoon to teach students about the life of a police dog.
Tony Keith and John Holcomb started the association in 2009 with the goal of training search and rescue dogs along with police service dogs
Keith, spent 20 years as a member of the K-9 team at Putnamville Prison. Holcomb currently works as a policeman in Parke County, a job he's had for more than 30 years.
The American Maintrailing Police and Work Dog Association not only provides training for search and rescue dogs, but also provides obedience and personal protection for the general public.
As part of the Area 30 Law Enforcement program, students are introduced to concepts and practices in traffic control and foresenic investigation at crime scenes. They also get to experience some of the training police officers go through such as getting tasered and sprayed by pepper spray.
Both Keith and Holcomb showed students the ways in which the dog, Bernd, finds drugs as well as catches criminals.
The pair were brought in as guest speakers for the Law Enforcement program, which is taught by Charles Inman of the Greencastle Police Department. The speakers gave one lucky, or not so lucky, student a chance to wear a full body bite suit.
The Law Enforcement program meets Monday through Friday from 12-2:30 p.m. Students get the opportunity to see a drug dog at work just once a year.
Many law enforcement students go on to be in the military as well as Vincennes University, which has a criminal justice program and also offers dual credits at Area 30.
For more information on the Law Enforcement program at Area 30, persons can visit http://programs.area30.k12.in.us/admin/area30cc/cms_page/view/1812129.