NEW NOSE ON THE JOB: MEG UNIT GETS SECOND K-9

There's a new nose on the job for the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan
Enforcement Group.

Storm, a 3 1/2-year-old yellow lab, began his duties as a drug
detection K-9 in December and the MEG benefited from his work
immediately.

"Within two days, he had a multi-pound marijuana seizure and arrest to
his credit. He's been phenomenally successful," said Brad Dunlap,
project director for the MEG. "He had a reputation already before he
was assigned to our unit from his trainers that he was an exceptional
dog."

Storm joined the force at the MEG through a private donation from
Julie Broderick, an Oshkosh woman who also donated a drug dog to the
Winnebago County Sheriff's Department in 2006. After undergoing
training and certification at Steinig Tal Kennels in Campbellsport,
Storm was assigned to Officer Bill Ledger, a Fond du Lac police
officer who has been assigned to the MEG for the past two years.

Storm is the group's second drug detection dog. Addie, a female German
Shepard, joined the unit in September 2004. While some police K-9s
help search for missing people or are used for officer protection in
addition to sniffing out drugs, both Addie and Storm are sole-purpose
dogs whose only job is to look for drugs.

"All they do is smell dope," Dunlap said.

With a growing drug culture in the Fox Valley area, Winnebago County
District Attorney Christian Gossett said drug K-9s have proved to be
valuable tools in terms of finding hidden items and giving officers
cause to search a vehicle or person.

"Drug dealers are very creative. We can have an officer perform a
vehicle search and they may not find the hidden compartment that was
professionally installed," Gossett said. "But you can't hide those
things from a dog."

Dunlap said the K-9s are proving to be valuable tools when searching
homes. While officers will search the entire residence, a
drug-detecting K-9 can help officers focus their search to a
particular area, saving time.

"They are a big asset, a tool in our toolbox of investigative
techniques that we can pull out and use on a case," Dunlap said.