On June 15, Officer Phil Foglia and his sidekick, Hollywood, a Belgian Malinois police dog, came to the Lumberton campus to demonstrate the skills and benefits of using trained dogs to assist the police in finding drugs and bombs and apprehending criminal suspects. The visit was arranged by Lorenzo Eagles.
About 50 residents sat outside behind the Community Center to watch Officer Foglia put Hollywood through his paces. Hollywood went from being a tail-wagging, eager-to-please “pet” to being a scary, snarling “attack dog” at his handler’s special commands. Residents watched Hollywood successfully sniff out drugs hidden in postal boxes, find a set of car keys thrown out on the grass, and apprehend a “criminal suspect.”
Hollywood has been on active duty for about a year. He has already uncovered hidden drugs, helped apprehend criminals, and helped find a lost child.
Hollywood and another drug-sniffing dog came to Lumberton when Officer Foglia indicated an interest in starting a K9 unit. Officer Foglia and Hollywood have gone through special training and certification to qualify as a K9 unit and regularly undergo retraining and recertification to keep their skills sharp. Expenses (vet bills, bullet-proof vests, and special equipment for a K9 police vehicle) are not part of the regular police budget and are covered by private donations.
Residents left with a deeper appreciation of the efforts of our local police to keep us safe.
— Kathy Eagles; photos by Ellen Kurtz and Chuck Clauser