Watertown Police Department to add new drug detection dog

January 11, 2022
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.–The Watertown Police Department will be adding a new K-9 officer to its ranks.

Detective Sergeant Chad Stahl, who’s now in charge of the department’s K-9 program, says he and Captain Kirk Ellis will be traveling to Indiana later this month to pick up their new drug dog. He doesn’t know what breed or gender it is yet.

The dog will be brought to Sioux Falls, where it will undergo six weeks of what’s called, “selection testing.”

Once certified, the dog will work in the field in Watertown on drug cases.

Stahl says the new K-9 will be trained in such a way that it will not detect marijuana.

The new drug dog will replace K-9 officer Bono, who will be retiring.

The Watertown Police Department’s other K-9 officer is Sadie.