By Associated Press - Friday, March 31, 2017

LOUISVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A central Illinois sheriff’s department has started a K-9 unit for the first time in 20 years due to fears of a heroin epidemic.

The Effingham Daily News reports (https://bit.ly/2nmcjGA ) that the Clay County Sheriff’s Department recently launched the unit after Deputy Cory Heuerman and a 2-year-old Malinois (MAL’-ehn-wah) named Fallax received certifications.

The department said in a news release that the dog is the “office’s proactive response to the fear of a heroin epidemic.” The dog is trained in narcotic detection, apprehension and tracking. Fallax was trained at a northern Indiana kennel that has trained dogs for agencies like the Illinois State Police.



The dog and deputy started work March 11.

___

Information from: Effingham Daily News, https://www.effinghamdailynews.com

Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.

Story Topics

Please read our comment policy before commenting.