Taking a bite out of crime

[bigdoglover]

Yakima Herald Republic

By Tracy Sawyer

SELAH — The ranks of Yakima Valley police dogs now stands at six with the recent addition of a yellow Labrador retriever named Brody to the Selah Police Department.

After a summer of extensive training, Brody is on daily patrol with Officer Bret Reeves, who says the dog is adept at sniffing out illegal drugs.

The dog isn't necessarily called in on special cases, but assists during routine traffic stops when there is reasonable suspicion that drug activity has taken place, Reeves said.

The dog "works" in a passive manner, sniffing then alerting Reeves to the scent of narcotics by getting as close to the source as possible, then sitting down.

The city of Yakima police has four dogs, two used on patrols and two specializing in drug detection. Wapato's police force acquired a police dog last year.

In Selah, Brody takes the place of recently retired Rusty, a 12-year-old chocolate Lab who came on board in 2002.

Brody, who lives with Reeves and Rusty, spends his downtime playing with the older canine. But, the pup is all business as soon as the working harness and collar go on, Reeves said.

The Selah officer became a dog handler when James Thomas of Moxee donated Rusty to the force.

The chocolate Lab originally worked to sniff out drugs at the gate of the Hanford nuclear reservation. However, his role was eliminated in 2002 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that dogs cannot be used to randomly inspect people at checkpoints. As a result, the dog went to work for Selah and remained there until his retirement in June.

Rusty has transitioned well to his new life. The dog enjoys lounging at home and not having to work so hard for treats, Reeves said.

Still, there is some perks he misses.

"He's not so thrilled about some other dog getting to ride in the patrol car," Reeves said.