ACPD's new drug dogs already put to use in first 3 weeks

By Patrick McCreless

Having been in service only three weeks, the Alexander City Police Department's two new drug dogs have already shown their worth.

"These dogs have done tracking situations, been involved in the execution of search warrants and vehicle checks," said Alexander Police Department officer Jerry Whetstone.

"People have been arrested," he said.

Whetstone, who has worked with dogs since 1988, along with officer Greg Pike, are the two in charge of handling and caring for the dogs.

"At one time, I worked four dogs for the county," Whetstone said. "Prior to that I worked with dogs for the Tallapoosa County Sheriff Department."

This will be the first time for Pike to handle a drug dog however.

"This is something I've been trying to do for a long time," Pike said. "It's been a long time coming."

The dogs, whose names are Bady and Carik, both originally came from the Czech Republic. Just barely over a year old, both dogs went through an extensive 12-week training program at a center in North Carolina.