New Officer With a Nose For Crime

By Tyana Williams
VCU InSight Staff Reporter

Be on the lookout for a new officer on campus. He's not wearing a badge and he's not in uniform. Strider, a 16-month old Golden Retriever is patrolling VCU with his handler Officer Marvin Wingo.

Together the duo are fighting to keep drugs off campus. They hit the streets on July 14 after graduating from the Richmond Police Department's Canine Detector School. Strider is trained to detect the odor of narcotics like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.

When Officer Wingo gives Strider the command, he searches for the drugs and when he finds then sits down to let his handler know that the person or object has drugs on them. If Strider does what he's supposed to do, he receives a reward-play time and a rolled up towel that he only receives from Officer Wingo. Most of the time people are not allowed to play with or pet Strider, to keep him focused on his job.

Officer Wingo cautions that you should always ask if it's okay to pet a drug dog. He says there are two types of drug dogs: passive and positive. A passive dog is trained to be more calm and a positive dog is trained to bite and scratch. Never walk up and try to pet a drug dog without asking the handler first. Strider isn't vicious or violent; he's considered a passive drug dog.

Although Strider is very young, Officer Wingo says he loves his job and hopes to have him around for a long time. The average working span for a drug dog is eight years.