Pubdate: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 Source: Roanoke Times (VA) Copyright: 2003 Roanoke Times Contact: http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/368 Author: Lindsey Nair CUSTOMS AGENTS INSPECT U.S. CANINES The chief of customs for China brought an entourage of customs directors to Roanoke to see how United States police officers train their dogs. Chinese customs agents who visited Roanoke on Tuesday as part of a nationwide tour were interested in the Mill Mountain Star and some downtown architecture, but they were most impressed with the talents of Southwest Virginia's police dogs. Xiaow Li, the chief of customs for the People's Republic of China, brought an entourage of customs directors to Roanoke to see how United States police officers train their dogs. He said many dogs are used for airport security in China. "He wants to see how United States police departments train dogs because he uses dogs in the airports," said Li's interpreter, Yunyi Xu. About 25 visitors, mostly men, are touring America to observe security. They flew into Los Angeles about a month ago and have been in the District of Columbia for a few days, Xu said. Roanoke police canine Officer John Hoover, a master trainer who is well-known among canine training circles across Virginia and beyond, was contacted by the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles in October. Hoover agreed to host the group and give them a demonstration of the dogs' talents, so they traveled to Roanoke from Washington, D.C., on Monday evening. On Tuesday morning, they toured the Roanoke Police Department on Campbell Avenue and received gift bags filled with police patches, T-shirts and mugs, said Roanoke police spokeswoman Shelly Alley. Capt. William Althoff, who conducted the tour, said the group was impressed with the new locker rooms in the police department and were surprised to learn that officers had paid for their own fitness equipment in the gym. Two Pittsylvania County Sheriff's deputies and a Montgomery County Sheriff's deputy then joined Roanoke Police canine units at a training center on Bennington Street in Southeast Roanoke to give the customs officials a demonstration of their dogs' training. Li and his group watched dogs sniff out marijuana behind a wooden wall, scratching and barking when they found the drugs. They watched Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy Travis Harvey demonstrate obedience with his dog, a giant schnauzer named Axar. Roanoke police Officer R.D. Cox and Boca, a Belgian Malinois, found detonation cord inside a duffel bag. When Coal, a black Labrador and Roanoke police dog, found some drugs in a book bag on the first sniff, the visitors exclaimed, "Ahhhh!" and clapped. Roanoke police Officer Josh Carter then donned a thick suit and played a criminal with a fake gun. Harvey and Axar, Cox and Boca and Hoover and Axl took turns taking Carter down as the onlookers watched. "He [Li] has a great impression of how the dogs smell drugs and explosives and how they catch bad guys," Xu said. Li said the American dog training methods were similar to those in China, but there are three large facilities in his country that train hundreds of dogs per year. He said Chinese police forces use dogs in their work, but he was primarily interested in their use for customs. When the demonstration was over, the customs officials took pictures with the officers and their dogs, then gave gifts of appreciation to Hoover for all the officers who participated. Hoover said he had hosted dog handlers from Ireland and the Soviet Union before, but never so many at one time. He said everyone he's met used the same basic method for training dogs, but none had the weapon problem that America has. "Everybody I talk to from overseas finds it astonishing that everyone here has a weapon," he said. After lunch at a local Chinese restaurant Tuesday afternoon, the group planned to travel to Richmond to visit the Virginia State Police headquarters there. A trip to New York will round out their visit in this country. Xu said Roanoke made a good impression. "They said it is a nice city," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek