Sergeant ‘saluted’ with award

“Their main function is sniffing for drugs and explosives; we train them to go and assist in aerial searches,” Reising said.

Williamson said that K-9 units like Holt and Jogy, as well as the other tools and resources at the disposal of UCF police, help everyone on campus. 

“We’re all human beings; we all make mistakes. If you have negative intentions, you will suffer consequences. I tell students, 'Get back on that crosswalk before you get hurt,'” Williamson said. “We’re here to make sure they’re safe, they have to be responsible. That small percentage makes a big headline. This UCF is ever-so-growing. We have issues. With the exception of last year, our crime stats are going down.”

Even though the numbers went up, the percentage of cases closed by arrest will be higher in comparison, Williamson said. 

Holt, who has received awards from Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 2009 and 2010, echoes the feelings of Williamson. 

“Every now and then when you help someone, they are appreciative," Holt said. "That’s a good feeling to have every now and then, those people that actually want you there.”

Williamson always credits his fellow officers and the UCF police.

“I was at gunpoint at one time with somebody, a burglar,” Williamson said. “I had to take a gun off another guy years later, there was one person that always came to my aid, he’s since retired, but he was always first on the scene to back me up. It’s those people that I think deserve the credit for this big lion on my desk here.”

Jogy may be a four-legged canine-in-training who steals Holt’s sandwiches and startles at the sound of thunder or the feeling of slick linoleum, but the cool thing, Holt said, is he can reach over his shoulder and pet his backup.