Cuyahoga County's new Sheriff K-9 is ready to start his job

CLEVELAND (WJW) – All eight vests hang in a room at the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department.

Each vest has a badge and each vest will be worn by K-9 students who recently completed a 16-week drug detection training course.

The K-9s are expected to graduate Monday and then begin working at the prison.

“They all did a really good job,” said Lt. Joseph Kelley of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department. “They are all very dedicated.”

The Cuyahoga County Sheriff is adding additional dogs to help solve one of the county jail's biggest problems, illegal drugs.

The sheriff's department had two dogs used to detect narcotics, but sheriff's officials said more K-9s were needed. The prison houses approximately 1,400 inmates.

Kelley said about 100 people per day are booked into the facility and K-9s will be able to screen them.

“They will be doing narcotics detection,” said Paul Shaughnessy, president of Excel K-9. “They are able to detect all kinds of drugs and it will really save lives. »

The dogs will return home each evening with their owners.

The sheriff told us the goal of the program is to allow anyone entering the facility, including employees, to undergo the screening process.

Sheriff's officials are still working on drafting the policy regarding employees subject to screening.

Prison guards at the prison are represented by the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. Attorney Adam Chaloupka, OPBA general counsel, says the union “fully supports collaborative efforts with the sheriff to eliminate illegal drugs and contraband in the jail.”

Chaloupka, however, says the union is demanding that the issue be negotiated before employees go through the selection process.