Take one visit to Lawrence County Common Pleas Court and you will quickly see that individuals violating their probations fill the courtrooms most weeks.

The real questions is: How many other convicted felons are violating their probation and not getting caught?

All convicted felons on probation or home confinement are subject to random home visits by their probation officers just to make sure they are abiding by the rules that include no drug or alcohol use and no consorting with other convicted felons.

It is difficult for law enforcement to catch those who are breaking these terms but this just got a little easier now that Hemi is on the job.

Lawrence County’s probation officers are getting help from the Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit: a German shepherd named Hemi, and his handler, Deputy Charlie Hammonds.

Taking a K-9 unit along for the visit makes it far easier for authorities to find drugs hidden inside homes and also easier to find individuals who may be hiding as well.

The first day on the job, Hemi led police to four arrests, several of whom were wanted for outstanding warrants.

It is a fine line between administering justice and overcrowding our jails, but these individuals have broken the law and given a break if they follow some guidelines. If they break those rules, they deserve appropriate punishment.

We applaud the sheriff’s office, the probation department and the common pleas judges for working together to implement this program here.

Hopefully, this will send a message to those on probation that they better keep their noses clean or Hemi’s nose will sniff them out.