The City of Jackson has a new K-9 officer in its ranks, ready to sniff out all controlled substances with the exception of legal cannabis. Riggs, a German shepherd, is now the face of the police department's K-9 unit after he was put into service on Tuesday, June 13 and officially replaced Beny.
Jackson received a generous grant from the state Department of Public Safety to purchase and train Riggs along with all relevant supplies and a kennel. The total amount was $19,474.02. Officer Brandon McSpadden also received training as part of the grant and is now Riggs’ handler.
Riggs is highly trained for detecting controlled substances, something he can do with great accuracy – a factor that made him an ideal replacement for Beny after Missouri authorized the legalization of cannabis on November 8th through Amendment 3’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative. According to Assistant Police Chief Alex Broch, “ With the approval of Amendment 3, you don't want a dog who's been trained in marijuana. With a new animal, we can know for sure when the canine alerts on a vehicle there's something illegal inside". Riggs’ other skillsets were put through rigorous testing before being accepted into service while his nose was trained to separate illicit substances from Cannabis so that his alerts could be accurately interpreted by his handler. This measure ensures that Riggs will only be alerted to illegal drugs within vehicles and buildings that he inspects throughout his beat.
Since Beny has been with the Jackson Police Department since 2015, it's time for him to retire from service as well as return back to civilian life where he will live out his days in the care of his former handler, according to Broch. Jackson's Board of Aldermen still needs to approve Beny’s retirement but is expected in due time given how much work he has done up until now since starting his career at Jackson PD.
With Riggs on board and eager to take on duties such as sniffing out drugs or explosives at crime scenes or apprehending offenders suspected of drug-related offenses, one can only hope that he fulfills this role successfully while staying under budget thanks to careful financial management by local officials like Broch who understands just how much these kind of partnerships mean for any police department. Indeed by having dedicated officers like McSpadden serve alongside brave K-9 officers like Riggs and Beny who are eager to tackle any task assigned as well as help reduce crime rates within their community makes for efficient policing indeed.
