DRUG DOGS GAIN POPULARITY IN AREA

Officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety looked more like proud parents than new pet owners Thursday as they introduced their first drug-detecting dog to the press.

Astro is a 2-year-old German shepherd from Czechoslovakia. His handler is Brian Evans, nicknamed "Elroy" because of the popular Jetsons cartoon and its boy and dog characters.

Sikeston's bill for Astro, including his training, Evans' training, a remodeled car and veterinary care, came to about $17,500. Chief James Leist said the dog still costs much less than an officer and can find drugs easily.

After one night on the street, Astro was responsible for a noteworthy find. Evans noticed a car with no license plates, stopped it and obtained permission for a search. Within minutes, the dog came up with drug paraphernalia hidden on the passenger side.

This summer, there will be checkpoints involving Astro, and he will work a regular shift, too.

Area law enforcement departments are snapping up German shepherds like Astro these days. Charleston bought one a few months ago, Wayne County just got one and Stoddard County has one on order. Cape Girardeau has had a drug-detecting dog for some time, as have Bollinger and New Madrid counties.

Most of the dogs have been trained by Mike Ervin, a Cape Girardeau-area resident who can teach them obedience, narcotics detection, handler protection, building searches and tracking. He also trains dogs for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which keeps two here in Troop E, where Interstate 55 is known as a drug corridor to the north.

"I think people are starting to see the value of the dogs," Ervin said. "Once one department gets one, other departments want to use them as tools, too."

All Ervin's dogs are from Eastern Europe, an area known for strict breeding of police dogs. Even when two excellent dogs are bred, there may be only one or two puppies suitable for drug detection training.

In Charleston, the whole community realized there was a drug problem and got behind the purchase of Bojar, who Erwin trained. Chief Bob Ritchey said the dog already has been a valuable asset.

"Now, when the street corner dealers see a police car coming, they check to see if it says K-9 on it," he said.

In Bojar's three months with the Charleston Police Department, he has helped in several busts but hasn't collected incredible stories as some of the older dogs have.

The Bollinger County sheriff's 6-year-old Raven, a black Labrador, has been working around Marble Hill for two years.

Sheriff Dan Mesey loves to tell the story about Raven's work in Ste. Genevieve soon after she joined the force. A man in Florida attempted to send drugs to Ste. Genevieve through the United Parcel Service, but UPS personnel X-rayed the package.

They sent it to the Ste. Genevieve Police Department, where an officer posed as a UPS delivery person, delivered the package and then presented a search warrant to the recipient.

Raven had been called in for the search, and it took her 10 minutes to find narcotics sealed inside a wall and covered in plastic, duct tape and gasoline-soaked rags. They took her to another part of the building, and she found marijuana seeds in the dealer's backpack and several $100 bills used in drug buys.

"When it was all done, the Ste. Genevieve policeman bought me a hamburger," Mesey said. "He bought Raven a steak."