Crime & Safety
Georgia K-9 Helped Take $2M In Drugs Off Streets In First Year
This very good boy has been instrumental in helping to keep nearly $2 million of drugs off the streets in Georgia.
FLOYD COUNTY, GA — A K-9 purchased by the Floyd County Police Department with community contributions has been well worth the investment, according to a blog post by the department. Lex, a Belgian Malinois, has been vital in seizing nearly $2 million in contraband in just a year, the department said.
According to the post, Lex will celebrate his one-year anniversary with the department, and his third birthday, in December.
“We’re happy to report to everyone who supported us that we have been a good steward of fundraising money from the community,” Chief Mark Wallace said in the post.
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"Lex has been a tremendous asset to our department," Wallace said, adding the department looks forward to seeing what he and his partner, Sgt. Shea Hovers, will accomplish in 2020.
To date, Lex has been instrumental in seizing more than 48 pounds of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and ecstasy, all with an estimated street value of $1,961,133.60, the department said. All that, plus more than $31,000 in cash, makes for quite a haul.
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"Sgt. Hovers and Lex have a good working relationship. That’s what makes a team like this work — being intuitive to the K-9 and understanding the slightest action of the dog," Sgt. Chris Fincher told Patch, noting close attention that Hovers has paid to Lex.
"Lex is young, but being exposed to so much activity only broadens his ability and experience with future cases," Fincher said.
Lex often works on investigative stops during patrol duties but also assists the drug task force and SWAT team.
The department purchased Lex from K2 Solutions, a North Carolina-based security services company, for $12,750. That, plus $5,000 in training for him and his handler, mean that a $17,750 investment has yielded more than 112 times its worth in drug and cash seizures.
Floyd County, recently designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, will soon receive federal funding for drug enforcement, the department said.
See the Floyd County Police Department blog.
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