A Lincoln County narcotics officer and his canine assistant wererecently named “top dog” at a national competition.

Dustin Bairfield and his drug dog Ricky won the overallcompetition at the National Detector Canine Trials in Huntsville,Ala., April 21-24. The event is sponsored by the U.S. Police CanineAssociation and is the highest level of competition and narcoticsofficer certification.

“It’s a real honor,” Bairfield said about winning. “Not onlyLincoln County, but Mississippi got recognition.”

The competition featured 81 narcotics dog and handler teams thatwere certified and 11 explosives dog and handler teams from acrossthe United States. In the overall competition, Bairfield and Rickyscored a 198 out of a possible 200 score.

“It’s a combination of indoor searches and vehicle searches,”Bairfield said in describing the competition.

Bairfield and Ricky, a Belgian Malinois, placed fourth in thevehicle search category but were not among the top six in indoorsearch. Still, the team’s composite score was enough to give it theoverall victory.

Fellow Lincoln County Narcotics Officer Chris Picou and his dogRico, also a Belgian Malinois, placed 14th overall. Together, heand Bairfield won the canine team region competition in a limitedfield that included teams from the same department.

Both the dog and handler are graded by judges selected fromaround the country, Bairfield said.

“They’re critiquing you and the dog,” Bairfield said.

The dog is judged on items like motivation and alertness, whilethe handler is graded in areas such as handling, enthusiasm andability to understand the dog’s signals. Other graded areasincluded consistency and thoroughness in search patterns.

To qualify for the national competition, a team must finish thetop four in a regional competition. Mississippi alone is region 26,but some regions include several states.

Bairfield and Ricky finished fourth in the regional competitionand had their expenses paid by the regional association. Picou andRico finished fifth but were able to go to the national when acanine team from Pike County, which finished third, was unable toattend

Picou, who was out of town visiting an ill relative last week,believes his other narcotics dog Belle is stronger at narcoticsdetection. Belle is a Labrador and more methodical in her searchwork, the officer said.

However, to have his expenses covered, Picou had to take Ricosince he was used in the regional contest. Nevertheless, he washappy with his and Rico’s Top 20 finish.

“He did very well,” Picou said. “I was very pleased withhim.”

Regarding scores, there was only a .33-point difference betweenBairfield’s overall top score and the second place finisher. Therewas only a four-point difference between Bairfield’s and Picou’sscore of 194.

The narcotics officers said everyone participating in thecompetition is good.

“You’re competing against the best,” Picou said.

Bairfield said it’s an accomplishment just to get to compete,and the national certification that comes with it is a good goal tomeet.

“National certification by itself is something a lot of caninehandlers want,” Bairfield said.

Bairfield said the national certification is significant incourt cases. He said the high level of certification is one lessthing a defense attorney can use to “jab” at an officer whiletrying to discredit him.

Sheriff Lynn Boyte praised Bairfield and Picou and said thecanine program is a big part of the local law enforcement picture.He said Picou focuses on the interstate while Bairfieldconcentrates more in other parts of the county.

“They work together as much as possible,” Boyte said. “Whatthey’re doing is taking drugs off the street and making them harderfor citizens to obtain.”

Boyte also pointed out improved law enforcement by utilizingmoney seized from drug operations to purchase needed equipment andother items. The sheriff said it’s a “win-win situation.”

“It works tremendously in our favor,” Boyte said. “By doingthat, it allows us to do some things we ordinarily couldn’tdo.”

After finishing fourth in a regional canine competition forpatrol work, Picou is looking forward to a national competition inOctober. The patrol contest grades dogs in areas such as obedience,agility, bite work and criminal apprehension.

Pointing out that Brookhaven Police Department office ClintEarls and his dog finished sixth in the regional, Picou said thereare some quality law enforcement animals locally.

“We have some pretty strong dogs here,” Picou said.

Boyte said honors like Bairfield’s speaks well for thedepartment.

“Anytime you can bring recognition with the canine program, itjust adds to our ability to get the job done,” Boyte said.

Picou added that none of the competitors knew where LincolnCounty was when he and Bairfield arrived in Huntsville.

“When we left, they knew where we’re at,” Picou said. “Thatmakes you feel good.”