Drug task force greets 1st detection dog since ’01

For the first time in 14 years, the Clark-Vancouver Regional Drug Task Force has its own drug detection dog.

“I love our human counterparts, but there’s nothing like a dog,” Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins said.

Piper, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever, was sworn in Wednesday, becoming the first four-legged officer to join the task force since 2001. Piper replaces police K-9 Shadow, who worked in the drug unit until her handler, Tim Hudlicky, died of a brain aneurysm and Shadow was reassigned to patrol duty.

The unit has been relying on patrol K-9s, which are cross-trained in both tracking suspects and detecting drugs, said drug task force Cmdr. John Horch. However, having a dog solely dedicated to finding illegal drugs will help quicken the process, since a search warrant is easier to get with a dog’s alert.

“Her nose is an expert,” Horch said. “It saves on time and helps with investigations.”

The unit purchased and trained Piper for about $15,000, which was funded through federal grant money and confiscated cash.

Piper passed her Washington State Drug Dog certification testing last month and is expected to serve for six to eight years, according to the sheriff’s office. And even though she was sworn in Wednesday, her first day on the job was Tuesday, when she alerted human officers of hidden drugs in a Battle Ground house.

“She’ll have a big impact on drug enforcement in our area,” Horch said.