The Oregon State Police (OSP) Drug Detection Canine program plays an important supporting role in helping detect illegal drugs and other evidence on our highways and in local communities. Drug detection dogs are an invaluable resource on and off the highway. Oregon State Police Drug Dogs and their handlers have been instrumental in seizing Marijuana, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, other illegal drugs and stolen property.
OSP has strategically placed 9 dogs with specially trained patrol troopers around the state. In 2012, two newly trained dogs joined the OSP Drug Detection Canine program. Their training includes an intensive drug detection handling course and a certification process to detect the odors from controlled substances including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The dogs’ keen sense of smell is vastly superior to that of a human and therefore is invaluable in conducting searches of vehicles, buildings, storage facilities, luggage and other environments and locations.
During 2012, ten OSP drug detection canines and their handlers were involved in law enforcement contacts resulting in the seizure of:
- 200 pounds of Marijuana
- 110 Marijuana plants
- 1.5 pounds of Hashish
- 55 pounds of Cocaine
- 82 pounds of Heroin
- 49 pounds of Methamphetamine
- 3 pounds of Psilocybin Mushrooms
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