Hillsborough area neighborhood watches will sponsor a K9 demonstration and fund-raiser for Hillsborough’s police dogs at 10 a.m. May 30 in Gold Park.

The Hillsborough Police Department’s two K9 officers, Sampson and Talon, need bullet- and stab-resistant vests to protect them while pursuing  suspects. The vests cost $800 each — two times the cost of a vest for a  human officer — and are more than the Police Department’s budget can  provide.

The neighborhood watches in Hillsborough Heights, Fairview and West Hillsborough are working together in this first joint watch activity to  raise awareness and to fund the purchase of the vests.

“This is a fantastic show of support for the Hillsborough Police Department and certainly for our two K9s,” Police Chief Clarence Birkhead said. “The neighborhood watch groups we have here are some of
the best I have ever worked with. These three neighborhoods epitomize the essence of community watch in how they get involved with what’s going on in their communities and how they partner with HPD to ensure the quality of life we enjoy is maintained and enriched throughactivities just like this.”

At the demo and fund-raising event, Hillsborough K9 handlers Scott Foster and Michael Foushee will have Talon and Sampson display their skills. The two K9s are full patrol dogs. They can find a variety of
drugs, search for items and people, track people and retrieve items. Some K9s serve a single purpose, such as bomb-sniffing.

The event also will include a silent auction, with such items up for bid as a painting, hand-turned wooden bowl, pottery, jointed teddy bear and a three-month silver membership pass to the Triangle SportsPlex. Home-baked cookies and cakes also will be available for sale.

“If Sampson and Talon could speak I know they would express their sincere gratitude to each one of our partners for making them a little safer,” Birkhead said.

Hillsborough’s two K9s and handlers responded to about 175 calls last year, including calls to assist the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and surrounding communities.

Gold Park is located at 415 Dimmocks Mill Road, just west of Nash Street. It is in the sharp curve of Dimmocks Mill Road, just south of the railroad trestle.