Justice joins force
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
BEAUFORT T. JUSTICE, pictured with his handler/trainer Officer Kevin Schumacher, is the newest ‘officer’ at the Presque Isle Police Department.
The 3-month-old bloodhound will soon begin training to replace his great-uncle, Hunter. Once trained, Beaufort will be used to track for various purposes, including lost individuals and to help locate criminals. The dog will not only serve the citizens of Presque Isle but Aroostook County as well, since such services are limited in the region; the PIPD is often called to assist in other communities.
PRESQUE ISLE — The Presque Isle Police Department recently welcomed the arrival of its newest officer, Beaufort T. Justice.
Unlike his namesake — a two-legged law enforcement officer, played by Jackie Gleason, who rose to fame in the “Smokey and the Bandit” movies of the ‘70s and served as the bungling nemesis for Burt Reynold’s character — the Presque Isle officer has already earned the praise of community members and has done so despite the fact he’s only about three months old and walks on four feet.
“Beaufort T. Justice is the department’s new bloodhound. He came from the same facility we got Hunter from: Ambassador Kennels in Winchester, Va.,” said Officer Kevin Schumacher, who’ll serve as Beaufort’s trainer/handler in the coming months. “He’s already making friends in the community.”
Beaufort comes from good stock, according to Schumacher.
“Hunter’s sister is his grandma, making Hunter his great uncle,” Schumacher said of the pup who just turned 14 weeks old.
While Hunter was purchased by the department, Beaufort joins the force at no expense to the city.
“I have a good reputation with the bloodhound community. He was donated to me by the breeder,” he said.
The dog — one of 10 in his litter — according to Schumacher is “one of the top of his line.”
Schumacher’s no stranger to handling bloodhounds.
“I’ve been doing this for 15 years. Hunter’s done this town well. I’ve worked with him for about seven years,” he said.
Hunter’s built a considerable reputation for himself, said Schumacher, both at the local and state level.
“Hunter’s got a good reputation not just locally but around the state. I’ve received calls from all over the state asking how we (PIPD) got in the program and asking how a bloodhound’s trained,” said Schumacher, noting there’s minimal cost to the department and, therefore, the city, since he does the training himself.
“It’s a savings to the taxpayers, having someone local who can train such dogs,” he said.
Schumacher said bloodhounds at the PIPD have received a warm welcome, especially Beaufort.
“He’s already visited students, spent time at Special Olympics activities, to the pleasure of the participants,” said Schumacher.
The decision to accept the puppy was a simple one, given the strong record Hunter established with the department.
“Hunter’s helped solve over 100 cases, from missing persons to criminal investigations. He’s had quite a successful career,” said Schumacher. “But Hunter’s getting up there in years and it’s time to start training his replacement.”
Schumacher said it will take between a year and two years to fully train Beaufort to perform tracks.
“Bloodhounds are tracking dogs. Some of Beaufort’s training will be done alone, while some will be done using Hunter. Bloodhounds are competitive by nature, so training with Hunter will encourage Beaufort to perform the same tasks,” said Schumacher. “Pairing them up with build Beaufort’s drive.”
According to Schumacher, Beaufort will be a large dog when full-grown.
“He may be a bit larger than Hunter even, topping out around 130 pounds,” he said.
Once Beaufort’s fully trained, Hunter will officially be retired, living out the rest of his life with Schumacher and his family.
“Both Hunter and Beaufort live with us. Hunter has accepted the fact there’s a pup in the house. My kids love animals; Beaufort’s already made fast friends with the kids,” said Schumacher.
Even in retirement, Schumacher said Hunter will be available, should the need arise.
“The department will actually have two bloodhounds available. Hunter can be pulled out of retirement if he’s needed — in the event another department needs assistance at the same time Beaufort’s on a call,” he said.
Schumacher is taking advantage of the cooler weather for some much-needed “down time.”
“Spring and summer will not only be training time for Beaufort, but it’s also the busiest time of year for Hunter. That’s the time of year when things really start happening and we get called out a lot,” said Schumacher. “Winter’s our down time.”
The pup’s name was selected by an online voting process.
“I asked folks on Facebook to choose between two names: BOLO (short for Be On The Lookout) or Beaufort. Beaufort won by two votes,” he said.
In addition to being the name of a southern law enforcement officer in a major motion picture, the pup’s name also comes from Schumacher’s own southern roots in law enforcement.
“Beaufort County, S.C., is actually where I started my law career. I thought it was a rather fitting name to give a pup who’ll help me continue my work as an officer,” said Schumacher.
Schumacher said Beaufort will continue to be socialized through various local appearances in the coming months.
“He’s been to Pine Street Elementary School. I’ll continue such visits — perhaps visit residents at the assisted living facility, things like that — in order to socialize him more,” said Schumacher.
For more information about the department’s newest “officer” or to inquire about Beaufort’s visiting a group or organization, contact Schumacher at 764-4476.
