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Officer Overton (left) & Diesel (right)
For assistance provided at the scene of a suspected breaking & entering and theft-in-progress call, the team of Officer Overton and his canine partner Diesel was nominated for recognition as the Officer of the Month.
On September 30, 2010 shortly after 10:30 p.m., Overton and his canine partner Diesel conducted a search of the Auto Mart lot located at 133 Raleigh Road in Henderson, North Carolina after learning that a subject might be inside a locked and fenced-in area of the business.
On-duty personnel formed a perimeter surrounding the area. Overton put Diesel to work, and after conducting an open area search of the fenced-in area and giving several audible verbal warnings for any suspect(s) to show him- or herself or face a potential bite by a police canine, Overton released Diesel and gave him a command to search.
After several minutes of searching around and between the automobiles in the auto dealer’s storage yard, Diesel flushed out and ensured the apprehension of a suspect resulting in an arrest.
This business had been a target for several similar crimes in previous incidents in recent weeks.
In addition to handling his SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) and canine-handling duties, Overton has been involved in many weeks of performing field training with new recruits. Also, he and Diesel put in numerous off-duty hours in training and care-related the canine functions.