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September marks the month that Big Timber will add a four-legged patrol officer to its roster. Sweet Grass County Deputy Kevin Klostermeier has a dog reserved for the six-week canine law enforcement course that begins in September.

Previously, two police canines have worked in Big Timber, but neither one was nationally certified, mostly because the cost of a certified dog starts at $7,000, and that amount is just to register for the course and purchase the dog.

Sheriff Dan Tronrud explained, "We definitely have a need for a canine officer right now since our drug arrests have been increasing steadily."

Drug charges have increased from six during the last half of 1998, to 35 during 1999. Drug charges so far this year already total 39. These arrests result after probable cause has been established. What these numbers don’t include, are the instances when police collect reliable information on vehicles transporting drugs into Sweet Grass County but can’t meet the strict requirements to qualify for a search warrant.

In Montana, the right to privacy is strongly upheld. It shouldn’t be easy to obtain a search warrant. But should it also be easy to carry drugs into Big Timber? A nationally certified canine officer can help police address this issue without abusing one’s right to privacy.

While any citizen can refuse an officer’s request to search a private vehicle, it is not illegal for an officer and canine partner to walk around a vehicle. Border Patrol officers use this tactic every day. When a trained drug dog indicates to his handler that drugs are in the vehicle, a search warrant is almost guaranteed.

But the Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office canine will not only be trained for drug detection but will also be adept at patrol work.

Canine patrol work consists of evidence recovery, tracking, searching buildings, and stopping and holding suspects. Training for patrol work not only improves officer safety, but offers a more efficient and timely way to respond to alarms in businesses since canines are permitted to enter a building immediately instead of waiting for the arrival of additional officers. Many instances such as this now require calling on off-duty officers, but as of this fall, will be addressed with a canine unit.

"When we looked into the process of acquiring a canine officer," says Sheriff Tronrud, "enrolling one of our deputies in a nationally certified course was the only option that made sense. The national certification is the only guarantee that evidence detected by the dog will hold up in court."

Billings and Red Lodge have already acquired canine officers from a nationally recognized training school named Lynnwoods Kennels in Fremont, Ohio—the same school Sweet Grass County Deputy Kevin Klostermeier will attend in September.

Every dog from Lynnwoods Kennels is guaranteed nationally certified. The dog can be replaced free of charge for any reason within one year. In addition, Deputy Klostermeier and his canine partner will be tested once a year at no additional cost, which ensures they continue to meet all certification requirements.

Klostermeier has volunteered to devote extra time to train with his prospective partner. "One of the prerequisites to becoming a canine handler," he says, "is that I volunteer some of my own time to keep the dog’s training up to standards. Because of the huge amount of time required initially and on a continuing basis, I needed my family’s support before I agreed to go forward with the planning."

Normally, state or federal grant money would be used to fund the purchase of a police canine. But Sheriff Tronrud decided to use private donations supplemented by mine impact money when necessary.

"Grant monies can be rigidly restricted." Sheriff Tronrud says. "With private donations, we can use the dog in whatever capacity necessary, including routine drug checks of businesses when the business requests our help."

This means that the quarterly drug searches the East Boulder Mine requires of its facilities can be carried out by Klostermeier and his canine partner. The East Boulder Mine would pay Sweet Grass County for this service instead of hiring an outside resource as they do now. If the East Boulder Mine chooses to join the list of private donators, the county would provide this service free of charge.

The $7,000 that secured Klostermeier a spot in the September course came from Stetson Ford, Bob Faw Chevy-Olds, Shiloh Rifles, Lowery Prized Possessions, Town Pump, The Fort, and Crazy Mountain Towing. Mine impact money brought the sum up to the required amount. Before all is said and done, training and purchase of the canine officer is estimated to total $19,000, which includes the initial registration and cost of the dog, transportation, room and board, and equipment. Sheriff Tronrud hopes to find a way to bring the total cost below this figure.

Deputy Klostermeier and his new partner will return to Big Timber somewhere near the end of October.

"One of the first things I’d like to do is plan a public demonstration," Klostermeier says. "Years ago police dogs got a reputation for being vicious attack animals. It’s not like that anymore. Yes, this dog will be another tool for the Sheriff’s Office, and an effective tool at that. But also, to me, he’s going to be a like a family member. He’ll be a partner I can depend on in life-threatening situations, yet I can also trust completely with anyone’s two-year-old child pulling on his ears."

More information online at www.mcn.net/~sgsheriff

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