Pubdate: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AR) Copyright: 2000 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Contact: 121 East Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201 Website: http://www.ardemgaz.com/ Forum: http://www.ardemgaz.com/info/voices.html Author: Jay Meisel POLICE IN RAID SHOOT CHARLIE THE DRUG DOG CONWAY -- One or more Conway police officers shot and killed an Arkansas State Police drug dog during a raid Monday morning on a suspected drug house, authorities said. "They didn't know it was the canine unit's dog," said Capt. A.J. Gary of the Conway Police Department. "They thought it was the suspect's dog coming after them." Charlie, a 6-year-old German shepherd who has been with the state police for about four years, was shot twice while in a house at 21 Gail Lane, just south of Conway, police said. The shooting took place during the execution of a search warrant by the Conway Police Department SWAT team, the Conway Regional Drug Task Force, the Faulkner County sheriff's office and state police, who were assisting in the operation. After entering the residence, SWAT team members encountered the dog and apparently did not recognize Charlie as being a state police dog, police said. State police and Conway police would not disclose further details of what happened Monday pending the completion of their investigation. Gary said the department conducts an internal investigation every time a shooting occurs. Authorities would not disclose how the dog entered the home or the identity of the officer or officers who shot the dog. The raid resulted in the arrest of Lillie Mae Piggee, 39, who is expected to be charged with maintaining a drug house, possession of crack cocaine with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of a minor, Gary said. Cpl. Karl Byrd, the state police canine coordinator, said Monday that Charlie was one of 16 dogs owned by the agency and used in a variety of situations, including drug investigations. Byrd called the death of Charlie "a very big loss," but "we feel it is better to lose the dog rather than a human officer. We don't like losing either one." Charlie was initially trained to detect drugs, Byrd said. "He was responsible for numerous large seizures of drugs from Interstates 30 and 40," he said. Over the years, Charlie performed so well for the state police that the agency sent the dog for training in assisting officers during special weapons and tactics team operations, Byrd said. During a SWAT operation, Charlie might be called upon to help nab a violent suspect or make initial entry into a residence to look for suspects, Byrd said. That helped reduce the danger for human officers, he said. Charlie was trained so he would complete his task and ignore any distractions at the scene, Byrd said. "He could be gassed and it would have no effect," he said. It likely will take several months to replace Charlie, Byrd estimated. Although several breeds of dog can be trained to carry out the various tasks of a police dog, the temperament of the animal is a determining factor, he said. The state police must find a dog that can interact well with officers, and that can take some time, Byrd said. It also is expensive to train a dog, the cost running to as much as $8,000, Byrd said. Trainers sometimes donate their time to the state police, but there is no guarantee that that will happen, he said. Charlie was a friendly dog, Byrd said. For a time, he was Charlie's handler and the dog interacted well with him and his family. "The only time Charlie was aggressive was when he was instructed to be so," Byrd said. Trooper Bobby Brown, Charlie's latest handler, will determine how the dog is disposed of, Byrd said. There are no plans to conduct an autopsy of the dog or to remove the bullet. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea