Aaron Fittery won't see many pranks Saturday night, despite the holiday known for its tricks and treats.
The North Augusta Public Safety K-9 officer, who has worked Halloween before, will be off duty and plans to be driving home from the Clemson football game during trick-or-treating time.
Residents will behave themselves for the most part, if history repeats itself, he said.
"Nuisance calls will probably be up more than any other (type of call)," he said.
Fittery has served as a public safety officer for six years -- three with North Augusta.
He said based on his experience, officers will respond to parking complaints, unwelcome trick-or-treaters ringing doorbells and other petty occurrences.
He also said the morning after will keep officers busy because citizens will wake up and discover vandalism, such as smashed pumpkins and stolen Halloween decorations.
Fittery, who has always made his home in North Augusta, said he was drawn to a career in law enforcement because he wanted to help people and make a difference in the community.
"It's just something that always interested me," he said.
For two years, his partner has been Alica, a German shepherd trained to sniff out narcotics. Becoming a K-9 handler had always been Fittery's goal in law enforcement.
"Just the bond between the dog and the handler" attracted him, he said. "I'm never alone."
Alica lives with Fittery's family. He said sometimes his two children think of Alica as a pet, though they know she's special.
"(They) know she's a work dog," he said.
Being a K-9 handler is more enjoyable than he imagined it would be, he said.
Fittery especially enjoys a situation in which he has stopped a car and believes the vehicle contains drugs. Alica waits in the car while he talks to the subject. Many times the subject seems to believe he has the upper hand, he said.
Then he calls Alica to inspect for drugs, and suddenly the subject's expression changes.
"It's like an expression of defeat," Fittery said.
His next goal is to rise to a supervisory position in the traffic division of North Augusta Public Safety.
"I'd like to see the K-9 division grow," he said. "But we're getting the job done with the two dogs we have."
Reach Lisa Kaylor at lisa.kaylor@northaugustatoday.com.
