Cary Member Recognized as American Legion Officer of the Year

Master Police Officer Jeremy Burgin was recently recognized as the 2005 Officer of the Year by the American Legion Post 67 in Cary. The ceremony was held on February 14th. Officer Burgin has been with the Cary Police Department since August of 1998 and is a graduate of NC State University. Officer Burgin was nominated for his outstanding achievements in 2005, in taking the K-9 program from its inception until where it is today. After being selected as the department's first handler, he and his partner Max completed an extensive 14 week school. Officer Burgin and Max graduated from K-9 School on June 3rd. Max finished as the Top Dog in obedience and apprehension work. On June 23, 2005, the Town officially introduced the Team to the community through a news release and at a donation presentation at the Town Council meeting. Officer Burgin and Max hit the street on June 24, 2005. Since that time until the end of 2005, they have been associated with numerous K-9 report related calls. These calls have included training, narcotics, officer safety, and tracking to name a few. This also includes presentations where Officer Burgin meets with the community to show their abilities. As a culmination of events, Max certified as a Patrol Dog at the United States Police Canine Association PDI trials in November. Max finished in the top fifteen and was the second novice dog at the trials. Max furthered his progress in December when he certified as a Narcotic Detection dog at the United States Police Canine Association PDII trials. This was due to Officer Burgin extreme dedication to duty in improving both himself as a handler and Max as a police service dog.