Byesville Rotary meets Canine Officer Xato

Pictured: Canine Officer Xato, and his handler, Officer Jason May, Byesville Police Department.

Byesville Police Officer Jason May visited the Byesville Rotary with Canine Officer Xato. Xato is the Byesville PD’s new drug dog. Officer May is his handler. May indicated that Xato is a lively, intelligent dog who loves working.

Officer May said that Xato is a young dog and will reach maturity in 6 months. Xato has dual responsibilities. He will be used for locating drugs and narcotics and for searching and tracking such as helping to locate lost children and adults suffering from dementia. He can even help locate lost items such as car keys.

May pointed out that because of the local drug problem caused by the influx of crack/cocaine much of Xato’s efforts will be used locating drugs, especially heroin which is easy to hide. May explained that during a stop, a search for drugs cannot be made without getting a search warrant if the drugs are not visible. A dog’s sensitive nose can pick up the odor of hidden drugs. Once a trained dog indicates there are drugs present, a search can be legally made without a warrant.

May stated that Xato arrived in October. The dog was purchased from a breeder in Czechoslovakia know for strict breeding requirements. He arrived in Ohio after a 20 hour flight. He is trained to respond to commands in English. May pointed out that retirement age for this dog is between 6-7 years so Officer Xato should become a familiar sight in Byesville. Xato was purchased with a combination of department budget monies and donations.

In order to insure Xato’s health and safety, May stated that the department has purchased safety equipment such as a door popper, an emergency exit button, and a siren warning signal. These items will prevent the dog from becoming stuck in an overheated vehicle when his handler is out of the vehicle. The safety features will also help May who will be able to open the vehicle doors from a distance in case he needs Xato’s assistance. The Byesville PD will be purchasing a jacket to protect Xato from being shot or stabbed which is a danger the dog faces when he is sent after a felon. Donations toward the jacket can be made to the Byesville PD.

Connect with Byesville Rotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com or Instagram Byesville.rotary.ohio@gmail.com , Twitter Byesville_Club , https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. The club meets 7:30 am, Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Walk-ins are welcome at the club’s meeting.

Byesville Rotary embraces social media

Pictured: Olivia Yearian, Mid East student, Becky Bruner, speaker chair, and Owen Williams, graphic arts instructor, Mid East and Technical Center. 

 

Owen Williams, graphic arts instructor at the Mid East Career and Technical Center Buffalo Campus, introduced Byesville Rotary to Facebook, SnapChat and Instagram. Additional advice was provided by Olivia Yerian, one of Williams students. Many club members already use Facebook. Fewer use Snapchat and Instagram.

Williams explained that choice of social media a person uses is partly determined by age. Older people tend to use “old standards” such as Facebook; younger people tend to use newer applications like Snapchat. Most people have a favorite application which they use to the exclusion of the other type. Businesses and organizations using social media to reach out to the public typically must use several different types plus newspaper and radio to ensure they are reaching as many people as possible.

Each different social media product requires the user to download an app. The apps are typically free and can be found on the social media’s official web site.

Williams explained that Facebook has been around longest. Facebook allows the longest posts and lots of pictures. Twitter allows short posts and photos. Posts are limited to 140 characters--an average of about 28 words per post. Young people prefer using Instagram or Snapchat. Instagram can only be used on a smart phone. There is no limit to posts and it is easy to use for selfies and other photographs. Snapchat posts are deleted after 24 hours; however, anyone can make a copy of a Snapchat post. The copy will not be deleted. People should assume that anything posted on any of these apps will hang around the Internet forever.

After Williams’ introduction, club members pulled out their smart phones and applied his suggestions. Chuck Fair, club president, used his newly acquired skill to snap a picture of the guest speakers and email it to the club’s PR chair.

Updates about club service projects were given. The Christmas food basket program served 168 families despite the cold, icy conditions on distribution day. Costs were up this year and donations were down. Club members will need to brainstorm to develop some new fundraisers.

A donation made to Pound partners to support pet adoptions has been used to reduce adoption costs for two dogs—Lady, a cute hound, and Midnight, a pretty black dog with a nice disposition.

Connect with Byesville Rotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com or Instagram Byesville.rotary.ohio@gmail.com , Twitter Byesville_Club , https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. The club meets 7:30 am, Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Walk-ins are welcome at the club’s meeting.