Coquille Tribal Police get new drug-sniffing dog

COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) — The Coquille Tribal Police has hired a new drug officer, a 1-year-old English Springer Spaniel trained to sniff out three types of narcotics.

The World reports (http://bit.ly/2hY9vkv ) that the dog named Ben will help officers search for methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. He’s replacing Stormy, a black lab that sniffs out those drugs as well as marijuana.

Fewer police agencies in the state have been using dogs like Stormy since Oregon legalized pot. Many of the dogs that can sniff out four scents are given to other states or used in places where marijuana is prohibited, such as in airports and schools.

Tribal officers have been putting Ben through search drills and the dog helped officers seize meth during a vehicle search last week.

Ben was purchased for about $15,000.

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Information from: The World, http://www.theworldlink.com