Published: May 10, 2008 12:48 am      

Floyd sheriff adding drug dog

After four years without a K-9 to help with law enforcement, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department expects to once again have a police dog by summer.

On Friday, Sheriff Darrell Mills announced at a news conference the department’s pending addition of Loki, a 2-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, to its force. The 60-pound dog is currently being trained by former Louisville Metro Police Department narcotics detective Sherman Dotson, and will be used for the sole purpose of sniffing out the drugs methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Loki should be on duty by late July.

Dotson is training the dog and the officer it will work with, Lanny Fessel. Fessel, a two-year veteran of the department, was one of five officers who applied to work with the “drug dog,” Mills said. Fessel will house Loki at his own residence, and the department will pay for all of the dog’s expenses with seized drug money.

Mills noted the importance of using seized drug money instead of taxpayer funds to continue fighting “the war on drugs.” Loki and his training cost about $7,000, and there will be food costs and veterinarian bills to cover. Mills said the entire cost is coming from drug seizure funds.

The last dog the department had, Kimbo, was a dual purpose dog used for drug sniffing and human tracking, Mills said. Kimbo got loose the night of a severe storm in June 2004, and was shot to death by a frightened elderly woman’s son, Mills said. That dog cost about $12,000 to purchase and train.

Mills said Loki will be involved in multiple drug investigations, but especially those dealing with methamphetamine labs and people transporting drugs on the highways. He hopes as more drug seizures and dealer convictions occur, the confiscated money can keep helping the community. Mills noted that a SWAT truck was purchased for the department last year with seized drug funds.

“With the fast moving pace in law enforcement, we have to provide the tools and necessary equipment to do the job,” Mills said. “This is really going to benefit the community.”