Gebhard wins national award

Vernon — Detective William Gebhard, Vernon’s K-9 Officer and an 11-year veteran of the Vernon Township Police Department, received the Marcum Award for 2010. The award is presented by the National Police Bloodhound Association and is the most prestigious award that a K-9 officer can receive. Presented annually since 1966 in memory of Sgt. Joe B. Marcum, it is given to one individual in the United States for outstanding contributions to the development and use of the purebred bloodhound in the field of law enforcement. Detective Gebhard, a nine-year member of the National Police Bloodhound Association, has conducted over 100 investigations in the Sussex County area that have resulted in arrests, evidence discovery, finding missing/endangered persons and criminal investigations. Gebhard currently handles three dogs in the Vernon Township Police K-9 Unit: Miranda and Amber, both bloodhounds, used for search and rescue, and Carson, a yellow lab, used for narcotic detection.