Brewster's K-9 Team Takes Win at Drug Certification

Detective Patrick Frezza and K-9 Cezar have scoped out tons of narcotics and evidence during their five-year, multi-department run, and they are still going strong.

The unit proved just how strong on Wednesday, when they came in first at the 2011 U.S. Police Canine Association's Region 7 Narcotic Certification.

Because of their win, Brewster's K-9 unit has qualified for the National Detector Trials, which Frezza and Cezar competed in in 2006. The top three teams from the region are invited to attend the trials, which are slated for the week of May 22 in Pearl, Miss. Frezza said Thursday that the department is still deciding if he and Cezar will attend. 

Approximately 25 teams turned out for Wednesday's certification, which was hosted by the Town of New Windsor's Police Department. The region includes dozens of departments throughout the area, from Nassau to Kingston to Milford.

Certification activities tested how efficiently the teams located the drugs, based on time and the handling of the K-9, Frezza said.

The course included four "hides" in total, spread out in five vehicles and three rooms. Two vehicles and two rooms contained hides, while the rest were dead, Frezza explained.

He and Cezar found the drugs in both portions of the test with time to spare: it took them two minutes out of the allotted six to search the rooms and three of the allotted nine for the vehicles.

"It's a big game [for Cezar]," Frezza said.

The enjoyment of the search is not the only benefit for the team — the win looks great on resumes, which could mean better credibility in the event that a find is examined in court, according to Frezza.

That plus is in line with one of the canine association's main goals. According to the organization's website, they include strengthening friendships between K-9 teams and trainers, bettering the "working police dog's" image and improving the "abilities of the canine in police work, thereby rendering better service to the community."

To read more about the history of the partnership, .