NORWICH – As the number of heroin and other illicit drug crimes continues to grow across Chenango County, local law enforcement are relying more on specialized K-9 assistance for help.

But that help requires plenty of patience and training. Last week, members of the Southern Tier Police Canine Association brought unique training exercises local by conducting police dog trainings at the Unadilla Valley Central School District and the Chenango County fire training facility in the City of Norwich. Dog trainings are geared toward keeping police dogs active, working with commands, building relationships between them and their handlers, and practicing sniffing out narcotics in different environments.

Last week’s training involved police departments from all over the Southern Tier. Those attending included New Berlin officer Tom Miller and his dog, Nitro; New Berlin officer Rick McCulskey and his dog, Jax; New Berlin officer Bobby Jones and his dog, Bruno; Endicott officer Larry Banick and his dog, Tarah; and Chenango County Sheriff’s Office deputy Dustin Smietana and his dog, Jeroen.

“We try to use different venues as much as we can because we never know what we’re going to run in to and what circumstances we will be working in,” explained McCulskey, dog handler for the New Berlin Police Department. “It’s important that they work someplace new.”

The Southern Tier Police Canine Association - comprised of more than 30 members from all over New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Canada - typically does training in Broome County. However, in the effort to keep dogs working in unfamiliar environments, dog handlers walked K-9s through the halls of the Unadilla Valley Central School District before training with the dogs at the Norwich automobile impound lot adjacent to the Chenango County fire training facility, where officers place drugs in and around vehicles for the dogs to find.