Princeton Times

News

Related Photos

  • Princeton Police Ptlm. R.S. Gibson, K-9 officer Hax and CMS supervisor Jimmy Keaton showcase the custom-built K-9 kennel CMS crews worked to fit inside Gibson’s cruiser. The volunteers used a kennel built for a Dodge Durango and cut it down to fit inside Gibson’s Charger. Tammie Toler

    PT Kennel collaboration.JPG

Discussion

November 16, 2012

A cruiser fit for a K-9: CMS makes sure Princeton Police's four-legged officer has a ride

By TAMMIE TOLER Princeton Times

PRINCETON — Princeton Police Department’s newest K-9 officer will ride to his investigations in style, thanks to some help from Custom Manufacturing Services.

Hax, a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd, started his law enforcement career at Bluefield Police Department. When his human partner, Ptlm. R.S. Gibson, moved to Princeton Police Department recently, the PPD purchased Hax from Bluefield and brought him on board, too.

Putting Hax to work wasn’t that easy, though. The department had a K-9 kennel on hand, but it was designed for a Dodge Durango and didn’t fit inside Gibson’s assigned Dodge Charger cruiser.

So, Capt. Paul Hill contacted Jimmy Keaton, a supervisor at CMS, to see if there was any way the local manufacturing operation could help. Keaton immediately agreed to see what his team could do.

“We pretty much had to cut it down to fit,” Keaton said, explaining that the basic kennel shell was good, but reducing the size required new roof panels and some other modification.

While they made good use of the expertise gained on the job at CMS, Keaton said his employees performed the good deed on a volunteer basis.

Now, Hax can really get to work in a kennel that fits both him and Gibson’s cruiser.

“He loves it. That’s the best thing he’s ever ridden in,” Gibson said, showcasing the kennel that sits where most cruisers feature a back seat. “It’s a Cadillac to him.”

While Hax, no doubt, appreciates the work Keaton and his CMS team completed for him, Gibson said it means a lot to the Princeton Police Department and the well-being of the community at large.

“It’s awesome to us. In our line of work, you don’t usually get a whole lot of support shown, so it’s greatly appreciated,” Gibson said.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.

Text Only
News
AP Video
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel? Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Sports

Multimedia