Blaine County Introduces New K-9s

HAILEY, Idaho (KLIX)-There are two new team members to the Blaine County Sheriff's Office that will help sniff out drugs and search for missing people. Blaine County Sheriff Steve Harkins announced the addition of canine deputies Eric and Kimber  to begin the new K-9 program, both are German Shepard/Malinois mix.

Two experienced deputies, Corporal Phil Rummel and Deputy Chris Harrison, spent five weeks training with the two new dogs that will look for drugs along with searching for people; the dogs are also trained to detect evidence and will be used for public relations.  “We want the dogs and their handlers to be visible and approachable,” said Sheriff Steve Harkins in a prepared statement.

The dogs will be used to educated area school children about the dangers of drug use and keep schools clear of drugs. The K-9s and their handlers will work to support other Wood River Valley law enforcement agencies including the Blaine County Search and Rescue Team.

“We are proud to announce this new program and believe our K9 teams will be a useful tool in many aspects of our law enforcement operations and services. We see this program as a valuable investment in our community”, said Sheriff Steve Harkins.

The sheriff says the office was able to get a grant from the Idaho Office of Drug Policy and  use drug forfeiture funds to start the program at no expense to the Blaine County tax payer.