Exeter’s drug dog’s nose leads to two arrests

May 20, 2015
Charlea Mills
Two men are in jail thanks to the sniffing power of one particularly special member of the Exeter Police Department. Bailey, a three-year-old black labrador, helped Exeter Police Chief Morgan Struble arrest two men in the last week for possession of methamphetamine thanks to her nose and training.
When Struble pulled over Christopher Pulliam on Monday, May 12, on Glenda Street, Pulliam refused a search. However, when Struble brought Bailey out and walked her around the car, she indicated that the car contained narcotics. With probable cause established, Struble found drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine on Pulliam.
Then again on Monday, May 18, just before midnight, Bailey found methamphetamine in a vehicle when Struble pulled Scott Boden over on Merrimac.
Pulliam was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class C felony. Boden is charged with intent to deliver a controlled substance, a class B felony.
Struble has been involved in training dogs for police use for over ten years, and after being hired as the chief in Exeter about a year ago, he trained Bailey to be his partner to help get drugs off the street.
Struble said, “I enjoy dogs, and I have a knack with them. I was always good with them. They respond well to me, and I’ve had a lot of people say that I was a natural.” Struble started training dogs when he was 16, but knew by 18 that he wanted to be a police officer.
He said, “The training was fun, but I wanted to be the guy out there using the dog.” Now, he and Bailey are a team and, where he goes, she goes.
Struble’s been a police officer for the past six years and worked for the Reeds Spring Police Department before taking the chief position at Exeter. He got Bailey certified to detect narcotics in November, and since then, she has been responsible for multiple traffic arrests.
Struble said, “It’s hard to say how many arrests she is responsible for because her presence alone has brought a lot of arrests. Just knowing that I’ve got the dog gets people to hand over whatever they’ve got.” For those who don’t voluntarily hand over their illegal drugs, Struble will walk Bailey around the car and, if she indicates the presence of drugs in the car, that gives Struble probable cause for a search.
When Struble takes Bailey out to work, she will either do free air passes around a car stopped for a traffic violation or when officers are executing a search warrant at a residence. Bailey’s indication of the presence of drugs is known as a passive indication, meaning she will sit when she finds something. Struble said, “If I have consent to search a vehicle, she can help locate the drugs inside a car, as well.”
Bailey’s nose is actually so powerful that she can even detect lingering odors if something’s been a vehicle fairly recently. Struble said, “If she indicates with a lingering or residual alert, it lets me know that this is someone I should keep an eye out for in the future, as well.”
Bailey is certified by two different organizations: the National Narcotics Detector Dog Association (NNDDA) and the North American Police Dog Association (NAPWDA). Her certifications are good in all 50 states, and Struble takes her to be recertified once a year with each organization. She is able to detect marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and all of their derivatives like hash, crack and others.
Even though Bailey is used by Struble on the force, she isn’t owned or maintained by the city. Struble said, “She’s my dog. She’s not agency-owned, so she’s my responsibility.” Struble covers all of her expenses unless someone wants to donate to her care. This year, the Southwest Chapter of the Midwest Pet Breeders Association made a donation for food and veterinary expenses, but donations don’t cover all of her costs.
Putting a value on Bailey is a hard thing to pinpoint because of how much training is involved, even on a continuing basis. Struble acquired her from a friend through a trade. She is the third dog that he has worked on the streets in his career. However, when Bailey came to Exeter, she needed to be trained. She had been a pet first in North Dakota before being chosen as a police dog. Struble got her from Iowa, and then worked to train her and get her certified. Police dogs that do what Bailey does are valued at anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 each because of how much time and training is invested in them.
Bailey’s continual training includes a lot of repetition and involves at least four hours a week of one-on-one time. Struble said selecting a dog with the right temperament is also important. He said, “Finding a dog that is obsessive about a toy, especially a ball, is helpful. They need to have a high prey-drive, and they need to like to find and chase a ball for training. Usually a dog needs to be at least six months old before you can tell if they’ll work well.”
Bailey will stay with Struble, just where she likes to be, for her entire career since she is his dog. He said, “Bailey’s career will be a lot longer than some police dogs because she doesn’t have a physically strenuous job. So she’ll work with me as long as she’s physically able, and then she’ll retire with me.”
Bailey is one of two dogs Struble uses on the force. The other is Mr. Bojangles, a bloodhound, who is used for tracking and search and rescue. Mr. Bojangles has been certified for two months and has already been used three times by Struble in partnership with various Barry County agencies. So far he was called in to assist in attempting to track a gun, lost child and a suspect who fled from the police.
Charlea Mills
Two men are in jail thanks to the sniffing power of one particularly special member of the Exeter Police Department. Bailey, a three-year-old black labrador, helped Exeter Police Chief Morgan Struble arrest two men in the last week for possession of methamphetamine thanks to her nose and training.
When Struble pulled over Christopher Pulliam on Monday, May 12, on Glenda Street, Pulliam refused a search. However, when Struble brought Bailey out and walked her around the car, she indicated that the car contained narcotics. With probable cause established, Struble found drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine on Pulliam.
Then again on Monday, May 18, just before midnight, Bailey found methamphetamine in a vehicle when Struble pulled Scott Boden over on Merrimac.
Pulliam was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class C felony. Boden is charged with intent to deliver a controlled substance, a class B felony.
Struble has been involved in training dogs for police use for over ten years, and after being hired as the chief in Exeter about a year ago, he trained Bailey to be his partner to help get drugs off the street.
Struble said, “I enjoy dogs, and I have a knack with them. I was always good with them. They respond well to me, and I’ve had a lot of people say that I was a natural.” Struble started training dogs when he was 16, but knew by 18 that he wanted to be a police officer.
He said, “The training was fun, but I wanted to be the guy out there using the dog.” Now, he and Bailey are a team and, where he goes, she goes.
Struble’s been a police officer for the past six years and worked for the Reeds Spring Police Department before taking the chief position at Exeter. He got Bailey certified to detect narcotics in November, and since then, she has been responsible for multiple traffic arrests.
Struble said, “It’s hard to say how many arrests she is responsible for because her presence alone has brought a lot of arrests. Just knowing that I’ve got the dog gets people to hand over whatever they’ve got.” For those who don’t voluntarily hand over their illegal drugs, Struble will walk Bailey around the car and, if she indicates the presence of drugs in the car, that gives Struble probable cause for a search.
When Struble takes Bailey out to work, she will either do free air passes around a car stopped for a traffic violation or when officers are executing a search warrant at a residence. Bailey’s indication of the presence of drugs is known as a passive indication, meaning she will sit when she finds something. Struble said, “If I have consent to search a vehicle, she can help locate the drugs inside a car, as well.”
Bailey’s nose is actually so powerful that she can even detect lingering odors if something’s been a vehicle fairly recently. Struble said, “If she indicates with a lingering or residual alert, it lets me know that this is someone I should keep an eye out for in the future, as well.”
Bailey is certified by two different organizations: the National Narcotics Detector Dog Association (NNDDA) and the North American Police Dog Association (NAPWDA). Her certifications are good in all 50 states, and Struble takes her to be recertified once a year with each organization. She is able to detect marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and all of their derivatives like hash, crack and others.
Even though Bailey is used by Struble on the force, she isn’t owned or maintained by the city. Struble said, “She’s my dog. She’s not agency-owned, so she’s my responsibility.” Struble covers all of her expenses unless someone wants to donate to her care. This year, the Southwest Chapter of the Midwest Pet Breeders Association made a donation for food and veterinary expenses, but donations don’t cover all of her costs.
Putting a value on Bailey is a hard thing to pinpoint because of how much training is involved, even on a continuing basis. Struble acquired her from a friend through a trade. She is the third dog that he has worked on the streets in his career. However, when Bailey came to Exeter, she needed to be trained. She had been a pet first in North Dakota before being chosen as a police dog. Struble got her from Iowa, and then worked to train her and get her certified. Police dogs that do what Bailey does are valued at anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 each because of how much time and training is invested in them.
Bailey’s continual training includes a lot of repetition and involves at least four hours a week of one-on-one time. Struble said selecting a dog with the right temperament is also important. He said, “Finding a dog that is obsessive about a toy, especially a ball, is helpful. They need to have a high prey-drive, and they need to like to find and chase a ball for training. Usually a dog needs to be at least six months old before you can tell if they’ll work well.”
Bailey will stay with Struble, just where she likes to be, for her entire career since she is his dog. He said, “Bailey’s career will be a lot longer than some police dogs because she doesn’t have a physically strenuous job. So she’ll work with me as long as she’s physically able, and then she’ll retire with me.”
Bailey is one of two dogs Struble uses on the force. The other is Mr. Bojangles, a bloodhound, who is used for tracking and search and rescue. Mr. Bojangles has been certified for two months and has already been used three times by Struble in partnership with various Barry County agencies. So far he was called in to assist in attempting to track a gun, lost child and a suspect who fled from the police.