Gregg County canines do well in NNDDA competition

Gregg County Sheriff 's Office Canines and handlers attended the National Narcotics Detector Dog Association annual certification and competition training last week in Jackson, MS.

Tracy Freeman, Gregg County K-9 interdiction investigator, along with Luctor, placed Second in the individual competition. Doug Morgan, sheriff 's deputy and his canine, Bor, finished ninth.

Luctor is a veteran K-9 and Bor has been in service since 2007. "Obviously we are very proud of our dogs, and both deputies," Mike Claxton said, sheriff 's lieutenant, said. "These canines perform a valuable service to the sheriff 's office, other departments and the citizens within and around Gregg County. We depend on them for narcotic searches, suspect tracks, the recovery of missing persons and to lesson the potential for officer injury in building searches or other assignments."

In team competition Freeman and Morgan used Luctor and Bor to finish first out of 15 teams.

"This is quite an accomplishment," Claxton said.

Recently Luctor located more than 150 pounds of marijuana in a motor home bound for Florida and recovered an elderly man missing from his home overnight.

Bor has successfully tracked two fleeing felons who were taken into custody without injury to any officer or citizen.

According to Claxton, this training by the NNDDA is required for K9 certification. It is a complex 40 hour block of training that compels both dog and handler to perform at maximum expectations.