NorCo Going to the Dogs

To those of you complaining that Northampton County is going to the dogs under Executive Lamont McClure, it looks like you're right.

Thanks to a generous and anonymous donation, Norco is acquiring a drug-sniffing Belgian Malinois to add to its corrections staff. It will be the first K-9 dog ever used in NorCo. No word on whether it's joining the union.

“We’re very excited about the prospect of a trained K-9 working with our Department of Corrections,” said Lamont McClure. “We see this as an opportunity to lower the costs of drug testing and reduce our man hours.”

The dog will be procured from Progressive K-9 Academy in Walnutport, PA and will be certified and registered with a nationally recognized authority. The dog will be able to detect schedule 1 to schedule 5 drugs and will have training in apprehension. A dog with this kind of education can cost $15,000 with another $3,000 per year for recertification.

The American Kennel Club describes the Belgium Malinois as "confident, smart and hardworking. ... They are highly sought after as police and military K-9s.”

Taught to detect both illegal and prescription drugs, the two-year old canine is expected to save money on drug investigations and to reduce man hours. The dog will be based in the work release facilities in West Easton and on the main campus for the jail. There is no plan to use the dog in the juvenile facility..

Suspicious powders and substances are regularly seized through the mail or inmate intake. With a keen sense of smell, the K-9 dog will be able give an instant response on seized materials instead of having to submit everything for laboratory testing. In 2017, 137 suspicious powders were submitted for testing, with 25.5% of them yielding a positive result for illegal drugs.

K9 Officer Eyra To Get Body Armor

Colonial Regional Police Department’s K9 Eyra is getting a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Eyra’s vest is sponsored by The Landis Family Foundation LeHigh Valley, PA and will be embroidered with the sentiment ”Gifted with gratitude" Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 1,900 protective vests, in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over $1.6 million. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.

The program is open to dogs at least 20 months of age who are actively employed with a certified law enforcement agency.

Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.

Comm'r Paul Weiss Takes on Castro ... and Loses

No, not Fidel. Not Raúl, either. The Castro that Bethlehem Township Commissioner Paul Weiss challenged is actually Belgian, not Cuban. But you don't mess with anybody named Castro. Weiss was on his back in about a second. Here's the sorry details.

Weiss takes his elected role seriously, and can often be seen at planning, zoning and other meetings in the Township. But he was strangely absent from the Commissioners' meeting on August 1. That day just happened to be his 30th wedding anniversary. He played hooky to treat his bride to a rare night on the town. Weiss hopes the public will forgive him, but is not so sure his wife would be so willing to overlook his absence on their Pearl anniversary.

The very next day, August 2, was Bethlehem Township's 28th Annual National Night Out. It takes place at the Municipal Park. In addition to a moon bounce, water slide and all kinds of educational exhibits, there was plenty of free food donated by area businesses and restaurants. Clams, pulled pork and chicken wings trumped the lowly hot dog, but there were plenty of them as well. Ice cream, too! Nancy Run Fire Company, which had been running all day to a major fire in Plainfield Township, was still there in force.

But the star of the night was Castro. He was there for a fight.

And the person selected to challenge this Belgian was none other than Comm'r Paul Weiss.

Comm'r Michael Hudak, festooned in his 345th-degree black belt, denies that Weiss' selection had anything to do with his August 1 absence, but he and Township Manager Howard Kutzler had front row seats, and were smiling ear to ear.

It was no contest. You see, Castro is a cop. He's not like you or me. He's a beast. In fact, he's a Belgian Malinois police dog assigned to work with K-9 Officer Dan Barsnica.

What does he do? "His primary asset is his presence," answers Officer Barsnica. While patrolling just a few days before, Barsnica asked someone to come out of a building, announcing "Police, Come out!" Greeted with silence, Barsnica got Castro out of the cruiser and this time called out, "K-9 Police! Come out!" Then Castro started barking, too, and the suspect came out of hiding faster than kids running for free ice cream on National Night Out.

Castro, who first went into service in 2005, might be a step slower than he was a few years ago. But he was just clocked at 28.4 mph in a 100-yard dash at Penn State.

He likes to work, too, even when he is sick. If Barsnica goes on patrol without him, he cries and barks until Mrs. Barsnica puts her foot down. "If I could teach him to drive, he'd be the perfect partner," deadpanned this K-9 officer.