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HIGH POINT — Rico, the oldest competitor at age 10, nearly knocked down judge Terence Garrison during competition Sunday.

But that didn’t earn him any penalties. In fact, it won him an award — hardest dog.

Rico is a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois and an officer with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department. He’s worked with Deputy Eric Stanley for seven years.

Rico and other area four-legged law enforcement officers competed in the first ever North Carolina Police K-9’s Top Dog Competition this weekend at the Wesleyan Christian Academy soccer field.

Proceeds from entry fees, raffle tickets for a football autographed by Carolina Panthers player Steve Smith and T-shirt sales went to the newly formed Officer Down Memorial Fund, a nonprofit that assists the families of fallen North Carolina officers.

“All the states around us have (a K-9 competition), but North Carolina doesn’t have one,” High Point Officer and fund founder Sarah Hester said.

Saturday’s events, tracking and narcotics, area and building searches, were closed to the public. Sunday’s public event featured the fastest dog and the hardest dog.

Garrison and Eddie Caldwell of the High Point Police Department judged the competition. Garrison also served as the decoy — he wore a body suit and waited 50 yards from the starting line for the dogs to attack him.

Recognition was given to the dog who got to him the fastest and to the dog who hit him the hardest or had the toughest bite.

“It’s a very honorable charity. I’m excited to be here,” Officer James Perry of the Elon Police Department said. His partner, Jag, is a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois.

“Narcotics searches is usually his strong point,” Perry said. “But they searched five trucks and he got tired.” Jag usually searches much smaller areas. “They’re just like any human. They have their bad days.”

The weekend events weren’t all competition. Officers got to share information and learn new techniques.

“I’m very impressed with the building search techniques,” said Deputy William Carson of the Durhan County Sheriff’s Department. Some of the items stashed in rooms were foam mattresses that could easily distract a dog as a large toy. But Carson’s four-legged Belgian Malinois partner,

31/2-year-old Frisco, wasn’t deterred in locating the suspect. “He bypassed everything,” Carson said. “I’m happy with that.”

Stanley said he learned a lot about different scenarios and how to hide decoys to train the dogs. “A good K-9 handler takes someone else’s ideas and uses it,” Stanley said.

Although Belgian Malinois was the most common breed among competitors, the top dog of North Carolina prize went to 22-month-old Hungarian shepherd Farid and his partner, Deputy Bryan Ezell of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department. Farid also was named the fastest dog, top dog in area searches and top dog in building searches.

Representing German shepherds was 3-year-old Kasper and his partner Officer Bryan Patterson of the Reidsville Police Department.

Besides competitions, the audience was entertained with demonstrations from High Point K-9s.

Garrison and Bikkel, a Belgian Malinois, demonstrated box runs, an exercise where the dog looks for narcotics, or in this case a tennis ball, under a wooden box. Bikkel demonstrated a passive alert, meaning he sat and stared at the box with the ball, instead of an active alert, where the dog barks and scratches.

Already competitors are asking for another event next year, and Hester is hoping to comply — and hoping for more participation.

“The budgets for police departments this year have been tough,” she said of the lower-than-expected turnout.

But she’s appreciative of the interest. “We feel blessed to have the officers help,” she said.

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth.seagraves@news-record.com