Herman Howard Dickey, Jr. walked away from his job as a correctional officer to become a police officer.

Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport said that he talked frankly with Dickey before he committed to the change in careers.

“There’s a difference between the pay and I wanted to make sure that Dickey understood that,” Davenport. “He was good with that. He had been with the Department of Corrections for about two years and didn’t want to stay in that type of confined situation.”

Dickey came on board in March 2010 and showed a strong interest in the K-9 officer’s position. Davenport gave him the job.

“So far so good,” Davenport said. “Officer Dickey is dedicated to his job and is doing a good job handing our German Shepard, Onyx. Officer Dickey is a patrol officer just like the other patrol officers. The difference is that his partner is our drug dog.”

Dickey and Onyx attended drug dog classes with the Montgomery Sheriff’s Department and received their certification.

“They both passed the test,” Davenport said. “Onyx is certified that she can detect drugs and Officer Dickey is certified as a drug dog handler.”

The skills of the Brundidge Police Department K-9 unit were called to task when asked to assist an area police department in a school search.

“They found drugs in both the classroom and the parking lot,” Davenport said. “Officer Dickey and Onyx did their job.”

The K-9 unit has been used in searches by the Brundidge Police Department but no substantial amount of drugs has been found.

“We’ve found marijuana under in the floorboard of a car but no large amounts,” Davenport said. “But having a K-9 unit is a deterrent. We could use the drug dog every day if necessary. When there is probably cause, we’ve got a unit that knows how to do its job.”

Onyx is in Dickey’s care at all times and, as the bond strengthens, the better they will work together.

“Officer Dickey takes Onyx home with him every day and they are a good K-9 unit that is beneficial to our department,” Davenport said. “This is our second drug dog. The first one didn’t work out and we got Onyx in an even swap. The Drug K-9 project cost the city $5,000 and that was money well spent. Now, with such a strong K-9 unit, it will really pay off.”

Davenport said Dickey is a valuable member of the Brundidge Police Department. “He’s a dedicated officer. A real go-getter,” Davenport said. “Office Dickey is a people person. He wants to serve and he wants to help. “

He’s not the kind of officer that wants to lock people up and throw away the key. But, he’s all about enforcing the law. He’s going to do that. We are fortunate to have him on our police force.”