LOUISVILLE, Ill. (AP) _ A central Illinois sheriff’s department has started a K-9 unit for the first time in 20 years due to fears of a heroin epidemic.
The Effingham Daily News reports that the Clay County Sheriff’s Department recently launched the unit after Deputy Cory Heuerman and a 2-year-old Malinois named Fallax received certifications.
The department said in a news release that the dog is the “office’s proactive response to the fear of a heroin epidemic.”
The dog is trained in narcotic detection, apprehension and tracking.
Fallax was trained at a northern Indiana kennel that has trained dogs for agencies like the Illinois State Police.
The dog and deputy started work March 11.
