A Dog's Life: Devon's Namesake Sniffs out Drugs
He growls, walks on four legs and tends to get frisky on the job, but he is one of the few valuable weapons against the war on drugs. He's Deputy "Devon," the newest member of the Wise County Sheriff's Department who is named after the company that purchased him.
As in most big farming communities, Wise County houses a number of products used to manufacture narcotics. The sheriff's department hasn't had a drug dog since 1994-95, said Sheriff David Walker. The dog helped deter a lot of the drug problems that were present in Wise County, but there has been a rise in drug cases the past few years.
"In today's time, having a drug dog in the law enforcement field is valuable," said Walker. "You need every tool you can get."
While traveling with Devon employees last year, as part of the Wise Eyes community crime watch program, Walker mentioned that the sheriff's department needed a drug dog. Following a proposal by Devon employee Bill Brimmer, the North Texas Public Relations Committee agreed to offer the $6,000 needed to buy the dog for the sheriff's department.
The 2-year-old Belgian malinois, originally named Dusty, was purchased from a company in San Antonio that is well-known for training drug and bomb-sniffing dogs. Deputy Sheriff David Jones and others decided to rename him Devon to show their appreciation for the purchase of the dog.
Many of the schools in the county contract with the sheriff's department to have a drug dog sweep the school when they have reason to suspect drugs are on the premises. The dog also is available for Devon use if there is probable cause to search field operations, Walker explained.
"It's not just for us. Yes, Devon bought the dog for us, but they bought it for the whole county," Walker said.