Shopping with an officer

The Bossier City and Shreveport Police Departments certainly are in the holiday spirit.
Just last week we ran an editorial about the spirit of giving and how generosity during this time of year is so widespread.
Bossier City police officers will help bring holiday joy to children in need when they take part in the annual Shop with an Officer program beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Airline Drive. The event is sponsored by Bossier chapter of The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 39 and the Shreveport chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3.
The officers will accompany 20 children from Central Park Elementary School in Bossier City on a holiday shopping spree. Each child will get to spend $100 dollars in money raised locally by members of the Bossier FOP chapter.
Members of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Shreveport Police Department will participate in Shop With a Cop at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Wal-Mart on Pines Road.
Along with providing children in need with Christmas gifts, the program is designed to build positive relationships among children and police officers.

Shreveport dog receives honors

Ranger, an 8-year-old Labrador retriever and his owner Capt. Kerry Foster won the AKC Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) in the American Kennel Club's Search and Rescue Dog category.
The ACE is given annually to dogs in each of the following five categories: Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Therapy, Service and Exemplary Companion Dog. The award is designed to commemorate loyal, hard-working dogs that have made significant contributions to their community.
Ranger began his work as a search and rescue dog for the Shreveport Fire Department in 2001. Since then he has conducted approximately 40 search operations in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas each year.
One of these operations included searching 2,800 collapsed homes in New Orleans between March and July 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Ranger and Foster made more than a dozen recoveries of victims’ remains despite getting injured on the job.
Ranger and Foster will be honored in a ceremony at the Metairie Kennel Club annual dog show in Gonzales on Saturday.