DRUG-SNIFFING CANINES AID IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

The old saying suggests that man's best friend is a dog. Recent evidence indicates that a dog can also be a drug enforcement agent's best friend. The courts are backing up police procedures by which drug-sniffing canines are used to search for criminal evidence. We are delighted by the idea such low-tech methods are frustrating the distributors of illegal drugs.

Governments and law enforcement agencies at all levels have spent countless dollars developing methods for ferreting out those who transport, distribute and use illegal drugs. Many of those dollars have been well-spent; modern surveillance and tracking equipment, plus the advances in data processing as it relates to following financial trails, assist legal authorities as never before. (This development is tempered by the fact drug lords and their intricately structured network of smugglers also take advantage of sophisticated technology.)

This makes it all the more pleasing that a primal characteristic (a dog's sense of smell, said to be 80 percent keener than a human's) can be successfully utilized in detecting narcotics. Law enforcement officers act on their experience and instincts in trying to determine whether a person in their presence possesses drugs. A canine, properly trained, has an advantage ... a great and discerning nose. If the dog sniffs out something suspicious, the attending officer can cite probable cause in effecting a search.

This scenario has been played out to favorable results close to home. Earlier this month, one of the Missouri Highway Patrol's six dogs was on patrol in Scott County when it detected marijuana in two cars during routine traffic stops; four persons were arrested as a result. Last month, the U.S. Customs Service used a drug-sniffing canine to discover a package loaded with marijuana heading for Cape Girardeau; arrests followed. These are arrests that probably would not have been made had the dogs not been utilized.

Some defense lawyers would make the case that these animals, constantly sniffing about, deny individuals their right to privacy. The courts, in at least 94 cases at the appellate level since 1973, have decided in favor of the dogs and their good work. Morley Swingle, Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney, has become an authority on these cases and recently lectured supervisors of the Missouri Highway Patrol about this area of the law.

The Missouri Highway Patrol has plans to add to its K-9 force this year. We believe the investment is worthwhile. (The obvious joke is that these recruits are inexpensive to clothe and never complain about long hours.) In addition, we hope the courts continue to allow these animals to do what comes naturally ... and in the process help in the fight against drugs.