In recognition of J & E Harley Davidson's $1,500 donation that paid for almost 1/3 of the expense of the K-9, Hanna's daughter, Deana Lewis, was asked to name the dog. The English Labrador retriever was named "Dyna" after Deana's favorite Harley Davidson sports motorcycle.
The balance of the dog's cost was funded by a cooperative effort between the Town of Winterville and the Pitt Community College Police. Private donations made through the Winterville Community Police Association paid for the training expenses for the dog and handler. The Winterville Police Department now joins the Greenville Police Department, the Pitt County Sheriff's Office and the Bethel Police Department as the only departments in the county with K-9s.
Officer "Dyna" has already proven her value in fighting the war on drugs. During her initial training she recovered a substantial quanity of drugs with an estimated street value of $1,100 while assisting Greenville Police.
"'Dyna' is par of our comprehensive counter-drug program," said police chief Billy Wilkes. "Along with our coordinated efforts with other law enforcement agencies, we're making a real impact on drugs, gangs, and general crime in the Winterville area."
"Dyna's" handler, Sgt. Cook, added that in addtion to patrolling Winterville, "Dyna" will routinely support the Pitt Community College Police and is available to other area agencies upon request. He added that having completed her drug detection training "Dyna" is scheduled for training this spring for conducting the tracking of persons and articles.
Attendees at the presentation included Jim Hanna, Deana Lewis, Mayor Doug Jackson, members of the Winterville Board of Aldermen, Chief Billy Wilkes and Sgt. Donald Cook of the Winterville Police Department, Chief Alan Edwards and Officer Clarence Penn of Pitt Community College Police.
