Pubdate: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 Source: Casper Star-Tribune (WY) Copyright: 2007 Casper Star-Tribune Contact: http://www.casperstartribune.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/765 Author: Kerry Huller, Star-Tribune Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?237 (Drug Dogs) POLICE DOG HAS NOSE FOR DRUGS Mills Police Officer Derek Ransom Has Found The Perfect Partner. She loves coming to work, never talks back and shares his passion for getting drugs off the streets. In return, all she asks for is a few minutes of play time with a tennis ball. Meet Nyx, a nearly 2-year-old black Labrador who can sniff out even small amounts of methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin and cocaine. She's also the department's first police dog. "She's the best partner I could ever ask for," Ransom says. "She loves me, she doesn't talk back, she's game for everything." Nyx, named after the Greek goddess of darkness and the night, is trained to alert Ransom whenever she smells the odor of drugs. She can smell illegal substances by merely walking around the outside of a vehicle. "We are going to seriously impact the drug community with her," Ransom says. During Ransom's shift, Nyx quietly curls up in the back of his Dodge Durango police cruiser. But when her drug-sniffing abilities are needed, she practically bursts with energy. When Ransom stops a vehicle for a traffic violations, she sits up, staring forward with her head resting on metal bars that separate the front and back seats. He lets her out and commands, "Find it." Nyx's tail wags as she darts around the suspect vehicle, intently sniffing the various parts. "She's nuts about going to work," he says. "She wants to be right there, every day." Mills, Ransom says, is a drug-rich community, and marijuana and methamphetamine are the most common illegal substances. Nyx, who came to the department last month, will lead to more drug arrests, he believes. While marijuana has an odor that's easily recognizable, the smell of methamphetamine is harder for an officer to pick out. For Nyx, it's no problem. In a demonstration of her abilities, Ransom hid a small amount of meth in a file cabinet inside the Mills police garage. It didn't take long for the police dog to quickly find her quarry. Ransom had wanted to start a police-dog program since he joined the department in 2003. His main goal as an officer is fighting the drug problem, he says. "She's just the best tool for that interdiction," he explains. Nyx has already had some success. During her first week of training, she and Ransom discovered 12 grams of heroin. When she's not working, Nyx lives with Ransom. He says she's as good of a dog at home as she is on patrol. "It's great so far," he says. "We lucked out with just a phenomenal dog." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom