Local K-9 doing his part to keep drugs out of Buchanan County
By Riley Funk
A police K-9 is putting his best paw forward to protect the Buchanan County community.
Blaize is a K-9 with the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force that assisted in a drug bust that located nearly 20 pounds of methamphetamine on Monday. A 37-year-old woman was arrested in connection to the drug recovery.
The investigation was a coordinated effort between local agencies including the St. Joseph Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Capt. Shawn Collie of the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force said Monday’s bust is one example of training paying off for Blaize, especially with his keen sense of smell.
“There’s times where the K-9s are not only our eyes and ears, but the nose to be able to, give us that probable cause to search a vehicle or a residence or a place,” Collie said.
Blaize is a Belgian Malinois that brings a great level of energy to the job, according to his law enforcement handler, Vince Lippincott, an investigator with the Drug Strike Force. Collie said Blaize was brought to the strike force in 2023 as part of a federal grant to help combat the growing drug problem in the area.
Collie said Blaize has a great deal of training but is especially trained to track a number of different drugs. However, he was not trained to smell marijuana. This gives the dog an advantage in tracking drugs that might be disguised with a marijuana odor.
“The dog’s nose is just so much greater in the detection,” Collie said. “The role of the Drug Strike Force is ever-evolving. We are trying to go after those who are bringing the drugs into our community, those who are involved in the distribution. For us, a 20-pound find is one of the larger ones we’ve ever had. When we see something like that, it definitely (means) that training’s paid off.”
Lippincott said he and Blaize act as a dynamic duo in order to better protect and serve the residents of Buchanan County. He said companionship pays dividends when the pair respond to calls for help.
“I think with owning a dog and working with a dog, the dog realizes what you’re almost thinking, what attitude that you’re putting off for the day,” Lippincott said. “I think it helps in just being able to relax and take on the everyday stresses that the whole world has, whatever it may be. You can just take that little bit of time out and no worries, it’s just you and and him.”
He said the two share a tight bond that goes beyond the work shift. Extra hours have to be spent in order to train the dog and build trust.
“You just learn to read each other’s body language. Imagine hanging out with someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He rides in the car with me every day. Every day he comes to work with me, he goes to home with me,” Lippincott said. “There’s some officers that don’t want to do it because they know all of the extra time and effort outside of work that it takes an extra responsibility.”
