Lewisburg Police & CAMC Greenbrier Valley partner to start a K9 explosive detection program 

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

A couple years ago, the Lewisburg Police responded to a bomb threat at the Lewisburg Walmart. They had to call in a K9 unit to sniff for the alleged bomb, and that meant waiting multiple hours for a K9 unit to be deployed from north central West Virginia. 

“We need to be able to respond more quickly than that,” reflects Officer J. Hughes.

That’s where Szebi the dog comes in. (You pronounce her name Zee-bee.)

“She does explosion detection,” explains Officer Yates with the Lewisburg Police Department, who also serves as Szebi’s handler. “She can track firearms, explosives, people on the run, kids that are missing, active shooters, bomb threats, and more. Just not narcotics.” 

Yates pitched the idea of beginning a K9 Explosives program to Chief Teubert earlier this year. He was supportive and asked her to identify funding sources. 

“A program like this costs roughly $40,000,” Yates says. “I reached out to the hospital, as they’ve had bomb threats, and to the school system along with local businesses. They all stepped up to help thankfully.” 

Yates says she hopes to never have to use Szebi’s training, but she’d rather have the tool available and never use it than not have the tool when it’s needed. 

“We’re fortunate to live in this community,” Officer Hughes adds. “They got on board and now we will be able to respond to these incidents locally much more quickly.” 

Becky Harless, Vice President for CAMC at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, says she is happy to be part of the partnership. 

“You’ve got to be prepared,” she says. “We grew up in a world where you didn’t have to worry about this stuff, but unfortunately you’re not able to do that anymore. We’re happy to contribute and offer this to our community.” 

Yates says Szebi is a “pocket rocket” with a ton of energy and enthusiasm. “She’s already been in some schools and the kiddos love her. She’s mighty as can be and also a lot of fun.” 

The partners will attend specialized training in North Carolina this summer as Szebi continues to hone her law enforcement skills and Yates seeks to build a strong working relationship with her K9. 

“I’m excited to give back to my community,” Yates says. “We owe them as much as we hope to give back to them.”