Shikellamy students mingle with law enforcement dogs - Sunbury Daily Item

SUNBURY — Two Valley law enforcement dogs showed off their talents inside the Shikellamy High School on Monday.

Spike, a 4-year old lab, who is only one of 66 in the entire country, dazzled students with his abilities to track down cellphones, computers, SD cards and electronic devices that were planted inside a classroom by Shikellamy Police Chief Shawn Williams.

Spike and his handler, Luzerne County Detective Chaz Balogh, who serves Northumberland County as part of the state police computer crimes task force, showed high school students what the dog can do when searching for hidden devices.

Aria, a 2-year old German Shepherd, and her handler, Vicki Housner, who is the head security officer at Geisinger Medical Center, in Danville, also entered the school and showed students how her dog is trained in sensing bombs and deescalating serious incidents inside the hospital. Aria has been working at Geisinger since February, Housner said.

“This was very interesting to learn about,” Ariyana Fisher, 16, a sophomore, said after seeing the dogs in action. “I love dogs and to see all the skills these dogs have is amazing.”

Housner explained to students that Aria is used in situations throughout the hospital where guests, patients or disgruntled visitors are causing scenes.

“It is a nine out of ten chance when a person sees the dog they calm down,” she said. “The dog is there not to intimidate but instead to deescalate.”

Aria is also highly trained in tracking, which Housner said has come in handy when a patient may have wandered off the campus.

Housner said the dog is used through the Valley when conducting sweeps for bombs when a bomb threat is called in to authorities.

Balogh demonstrated what Spike can do when searching for electronics.

“Spike is very well-trained in this and he is a huge help when people are hiding something when a search warrant is served,” he said.

Balogh said he is proud of the work Spike does.

“When we enter a house or a school or any building and we are searching for electronics, Spike will find it,” he told the students. “When it’s time for Spike to go to work, he is more than ready.”

Williams said it’s important to show the students how law enforcement works together.

“We are thankful for the partnerships we have with so many agencies,” he said. “I think today’s presentations will leave an impression on students. I want to thank Geisinger and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s office for attending.”

Superintendent Jason Bendle, who was walking the halls of the high school with law enforcement and the dogs, said he was thankful for the law enforcement officials visiting Shikellamy and showing the students that everything is trackable.

“The presentation to the students today was outstanding,” he said. “Chief (Shawn) Williams is presenting a model of what school police departments should be doing across the state.”

source: https://www.dailyitem.com/news/local_news/shikellamy-students-mingle-with-law-enforcement-dogs/article_ac9b3bea-56b1-11ec-bc50-5b7d897a0dfc.html

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