NIH Celebrates Police
Awareness Day
Celebrating the 15th annual NIH Police Awareness day with a cookout on the Bldg. 1 lawn, NIH’s finest welcomed employees, visitors
and their children, as well as police officers from Montgomery County, Rockville City, Amtrak, Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian
Institution, Department of Homeland Security, Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning,
U.S. Park Police and the NIH Fire Department.
Held each year during National Police
Week, the event drew hundreds of folks who queued for burgers and franks, petted police mounts and watched the detection dogs strut their stuff.
The May 13 event featured K-9 candidates here for a 10-12 week training session taught by NIH Police Ofc. Richard Johnston. The pooches and their partners traveled from as far away as NIH’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Mont.
Many of the dogs found their niche at NIH after flunking a New Jersey guide dog program.
“It’s such a beautiful program,” said U.S. Park Police Ofc. Jeff Bartlett, “but the dogs were washouts there. They were too playful—exactly what we look for [in police work].”
That’s because K-9 training involves a lot of play. Officers use balls to teach dogs to find drugs and explosives.
National Police Week was established
in 1963 to honor the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers. The week’s events honor those who died in the line of duty, including 134 officers in 2008.—Belle Waring |
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Clockwise, from top:
Officers (from l) representing Rockville City Police, Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Police and NIH Police share a midday laugh. Ofc. Megan Lau’s mount is Roman, a half-Shire, half thoroughbred.
NIH Police Chief Alvin Hinton (standing, l) and Ofc. Richard Johnston (r) join picnickers.
NIH Police Ofc. Jeff Youmans pitches in for KP duty.
NIH’ers appreciate NIH Police Ofc. Wallace Carter with Sasha.
Smithsonian Institution Police Ofc. A. Arias (l) with Shadow and NIH Police Ofc. Johnston, a K-9 trainer
Photos: Belle Waring |
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