Canine Officer Delights Crowd at Police Sponsored National Night Out

They have badges, too. The canines trained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection are considered officers and respected as such. At National Night Out, beginning at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6, at the Gazebo on the corner of Main and Chester Street, the Front Royal Police Department organized and hosted an event designed to show the public a good time and educate them about what our community partners like CBP do.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection demonstrates to a captive crowd the process by which trained canines detect illegal material. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

With activities and food and drink for sale, the Gazebo had an extra special atmosphere as a CBP agent demonstrated to a crowd the process by which trained canines detect illegal material. A few suitcases were arranged in a row, and an officer named Ice was tasked with sniffing out which one contained the contraband. The public learned about how the direction of the wind impacts the process and, after the demonstration, were invited to ask questions, like, are people allowed to pet the dogs, to which the answer was yes, upon request, and then from the shoulders down. CBP is a culture in which these animals are valued for their skills and the service they provide.

CBP representatives engage the public with a one-on-one, focused, informational exchange at Tuesday night’s National Night Out at the Gazebo on Main.

“Every year, National Night Out takes this opportunity to celebrate all of our public safety and public health partners in the community,” said Director of Community Development and Tourism Lizi Lewis. “The Town of Front Royal’s police department throws this party where we invite the whole community to come out and meet these partners, and we have an opportunity for kids and adults to engage with them in a safe and accessible way. They get to take home some fun stuff, they get to listen to a great band, eat at some great food trucks. It’s almost like a block party environment. And we like that because that’s who we are as a community.”

Located near the 4-H Center, the CBP’s Field Operations Canine Academy is known throughout the nation as the place where the agency’s canines are trained. According to Branch Chief Jason Kropiewnicki, the agency has over five hundred trained animals who perform various tasks, including detecting human stowaways at airports. People may not realize the critical role the agency and its canine officers play on a day-to-day basis, and Tuesday night was an opportunity for them to step into the light. “It’s one of my favorite events,” Sheriff Crystal Cline said. Warren County Sheriff’s Office has the honor of coming alongside the Front Royal Police Department to be a presence at this event, which the FRPD has been organizing for about six years. “Them bringing it to town and rocking it every single year: I wouldn’t be anywhere else tonight.”