MPO Wright has been a duly sworn officer with the Harrisonburg Police Department since 1996.  MPO Wright is partnered with a Belgian Malinois named Wilco.  Wilco was imported from Holland in 1998 at the age of two.  Wilco was trained as a KNPV dog in Holland.  Wilco has held certifications in patrol work, narcotic detection and cadaver work. Wilco assisted in the recovery efforts in New York City  after the 9/11 attacks. 
A police K-9, who patrolled Harrisonburg, entertained school children and served at ground zero after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,died from cancer recently.  Wilco, a Belgian Malinois, served for eight years and was a founding member of the Harrisonburg Police Department’s K-9 Unit. The department’s longest-serving K-9,he was slated to retire in the coming year but died Nov. 25, 2006,said Lt. Kurt Boshart, police spokesman."He performed his duties as an officer enthusiastically and spent time with his family at home," according to a police statement. Wilco, 10, lived and worked with his handler, Master Police Officer Tim Wright. On days when Wright worked alone, he left home in street clothes and changed into his uniform at the station, so Wilco wouldn’t know he was missing a day on the job.
A Distinguished Career
Born in Holland in 1996, Wilco trained for two years, honing his nose to find illegal drugs, follow a fleeing a suspect or find a ditched a handgun.  After joining HPD in 1998, he continued training with Officer C. Showalter and later with Wright. He excelled in finding drugs and persuading suspects to surrender, said Lt. Kurt Boshart, the department’s spokesman. Wilco earned certifications from the Virginia Police Canine Association for work in drug detection, tracking, searches and patrol work, the statement says. He traveled the state to assist other law enforcement agencies in searches, Boshart said. Wilco’s career highlight came in 2001 when he and Showalter went to the ruins of the World Trade Center to help find victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  A new Belgian Malinois, Rocco, is in training to work with Wright, Boshart said, adding that
it’s expected to be a gradual transition.  "A K-9 handler and their dog are very, very close."