Sheriff's Office receives grant for K9 Unit

BONNERS FERRY — A K9 team has many advantages to law enforcement, from drug detection to improving public relations. The Boundary County Sheriff’s Office has not had a K9 team for a while, and it was a goal of Boundary County Sheriff Dave Kramer to establish one again.

Thanks to a recent grant from BNSF Railway Foundation, that goal is becoming a reality.

“This grant award from BNSF Railway Foundation will help us get a trained drug K9 and provide handler training with the new drug dog, along with some of the special supplies needed for the program,” Kramer wrote in a press release.

The past couple of years, the Sheriff’s Office has relied on other law enforcement agencies with K9 teams, including Border Patrol, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, and Sandpoint Police. They will continue to work with those teams as needed, but Kramer said they were excited to have their own team.

The other person excited about this development is Boundary County Sheriff’s Cpl. Mike Valenzuela, who was chosen to be the other half of the K9 team. Valenzuela had been a K9 handler, so comes to the team with experience. After his previous K9, Harley, retired, he passed up promotions in hopes of being assigned another K9 partner.

Valenzuela enjoys the close bond that K9s and their handlers enjoy. The team is together every day, whether on duty or off.

“I’m excited about having a dog in my vehicle with me on shift. I also enjoy doing things in the community with the canine and taking him to schools and letting people meet the dog,” said Valenzuela. “It’s also another great resource for law enforcement to use and to have available in this community.”

Although they do not have the K9 yet, the process is underway. They will receive a trained K9, and Valenzuela will then work with the dog and trainer for a few days. The trainer is already familiar with Valenzuela and his dog handling skills, as they had worked together previously.

“He (the trainer) is confident that it won’t take long to get him up to speed with a new dog,” said Kramer. “Typically they let you work with two different dogs and then the handler gets to choose which one is his preference.”

Another step along the way is modifying the K9 patrol car for the safety of the K9.

“You have to have a temperature warning, so if something happens to the vehicle, or it shuts off, the dog won’t be in danger of overheating,” said Kramer.

Along with the training, purchasing of equipment, and vehicle modification, the new K9 unit will also have to pass an Idaho certification process.

“I anticipate near the start of the school year we should be ready to go with our K9 team,” said Kramer.

Kramer believes the K9 unit will help to keep drugs out of the schools. Between the drug detection K9 and Valenzuela being a Drug Recognition Expert, the team will have a positive presence in working with the schools, as well as working with other law enforcement toward stopping illegal drug transportation through the county.

“I think it is a great opportunity that we can finally have a K9 team back on the Sheriff’s Office,” said Kramer. “K9s are worth their weight in gold because they are such a valuable tool.”

“I don’t think that we would have been able to do it without the generous support of BNSF Railway Foundation,” Kramer continued. “It is just really exciting to have this, and I think it is going to do great things for our county.”