Local K-9 Unit Remains Vital Force

One law enforcement ranger said it’s the first time eastern Idaho has a unit stationed at the Bureau of Land Management.

In eastern Idaho, there is only one K-9 dog for the agency. The other closest one is in Dillon, Montana. The K-9 for the agency is named Jordie. He is a little more than five-years-old. He and his handler travel eastern Idaho and are mainly responsible for the Salmon and Challis areas. But they also take trips throughout the nation. They go to music festivals looking for drugs. The two have also looked for a murder suspect in California.

Law enforcement Ranger David Spain and his teammate Jordie have been working together for more than a year now. They bust people for meth, marijuana, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy. Their biggest bust was 205 pounds of marijuana.

“It looks like a flashlight, but doesn’t work. We open it up and it’s actually full of marijuana,” Spain said.

Spain also said police agencies in the area call him and Jordie when there is a suspicious traffic violation stop. If an alert is shown from the dog that there could be drugs in the vehicle, the agency has probable cause to search the vehicle, according to Spain.

Spain has been a handler for almost 25 years. He said there are many reasons why the BLM decided to get a K9 unit.

“Because we cover such a large remote area you’re out there by yourself. It’s nice to have a canine. I don’t worry that I’m going to have to wait 2 hours for backup to get there, he’s there. It seems even the baddest of the bad want to fight me or my partner, but they don’t want to fight him,” Spain said.

Jordie is rarely in attack mode or off-leash outside of training. The next stop for this dynamic-duo is the Burning Man music festival. The two are set to leave for Nevada Monday.

Spain also said the most recent drug bust in Eastern Idaho for him was about a month ago. He helped Idaho State Police during a traffic stop. He found marijuana and hash oil on Highway 26.