By Brian Besch
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Officer Kendall Benfer probably gets more attention than she wants when entering Livingston ISD schools. However, that will happen when you are with a star.
One of the most popular figures on campus is an athlete of sorts who loves to play ball. He also has four legs and attracts kids from elementary to high school.
Hinu (pronounced he-new) is the ninth and latest addition to Livingston ISD’s school-based officers. The K-9 officer is a German shepherd and two and a half years of age.
Hinu’s handler did not know law enforcement would be her path when nearing graduation from Sam Houston State University. But Benfer, a Livingston grad, had majored in criminal justice.
“I wasn’t set on what I wanted to do, and then it was time to graduate,” she said. “My entire family is in law enforcement, so it seemed like an easy pick.”
Benfer became a school-based officer in LISD’s elementaries but put in a letter of intent for the Livingston Police Department’s K-9 unit that would soon open.
“We all had short interviews and then they made their decision,” Benfer said. “Myself and another K-9 officer with the PD went down to Houston and they showed us four or five dogs. We watched them run through some detection scenarios and we got to pick.
“Hinu was kind of the best pick for me. In all honesty, I had never done this before, so I did not know. I just watched him and all I could do was compare him to the other dogs they were showing us. He was working at a speed that I could keep up with. Some dogs move really slow when they are working and some move really fast. He was well-mannered and did well on the run-through they did. He came up to me and I was able to love on him right away, which being in a school, we needed.”
Benfer enjoys teaming with Hinu, saying it has been different transitioning from elementary to high school. The two took part in extensive scenario-based training in abandoned jails, as well as active and abandoned schools. There was what she calls “real-life training” toward the end, going into a rehab facility in Houston to search rooms, ensuring the patients were not using narcotics.
“With the beginning of school, we are still figuring out what all we’re doing. We’ve done several K-9 searches so far. But there is not a typical day, I would say. It kind of varies every day, but we do random searches at LISD campuses, especially DAEP, the junior high and high school. We change it up every day. One day we might not do any (narcotics) searches and one day we do.”
When school is out, the two assist with patrol for the Livingston PD, where Benfer has now been employed for three years.
“After I selected Hinu, I had him for about three or four weeks, kind of just bonding at my house. He lives at my house and we are together 24/7. It is good. We live on a good bit of land, so we are able to play ball. I have another dog at the house, and we get along really well. I have a Malinois. Hinu loves playing ball and we go on walks. He is still young. German shepherds don’t fully mature until four or five years old as far as behavior, so sometimes he can still act like a little toddler. We are getting to know each other, learning how we work, and how things are going to get done.”
Livingston superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins is pleased with the results of the program to this point.
“We could not be happier with the K-9 program,” Hawkins said. “We feel that every district would benefit from one. Obviously with the abdication of the state’s responsibility to adequately fund schools, we are forced to rely on grants or other ways to try to expand the program. Nonetheless, we are very proud of our relationship with the city, as we feel this allows us to maximize our efforts to protect students and staff.”
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