Pooch sleuths scour Mahoning jail

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

jgoodwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

For a brief time this week, cells usually reserved for prisoners in the Mahoning County jail went to the dogs — highly trained and specialized dogs.

Dogs Sweep Mahoning County Jail

Video

For a brief time this week cells usually reserved for prisoners in the Mahoning County jail went to the dogs — highly trained and specialized dogs. K-9 officers and their prospective handlers from Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, Youngstown, Boardman, Liberty, Canfield, McDonald and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification converged on the county jail with nose to the ground in search of illegal drugs and other contraband inside the facility.

Police dogs and their handlers from Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, Youngstown, Boardman, Liberty, Canfield, McDonald and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation converged on the county jail. The dogs put their nose to the ground Tuesday in search of illegal drugs and other contraband inside the facility on Fifth Avenue.

Lars, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, along with his handler Deputy Jeff Saluga, and Mercy, a 19-month-old Belgian Malinois, along with her handler Deputy Larry McLaughlin, entered the H pod inside the jail Tuesday morning. The dogs immediately went to work.

Lars and Mercy put a nose to every object in the pod including the washer, dryer, pay phone and a microwave sitting in a corner. One dog took the upper level of the pod while the other dog took to the lower level going through each cell for a thorough sniffing of bedding, clothes and any other personal effects in which contraband could be hidden.

Lars stops and lingers in various spots, but Saluga knows the difference between the dog’s natural inquisitive nature and the working dog’s alert that something is not right. He said a trained dog’s breathing and posture will let the handler know that something has been found.

The dogs did not find any illegal drugs during the sweep, but one of the dogs did give an alert to a location in one of the pods. Officials believe something may have been hidden there but removed before the sweep.

Maj. Alki Santamas of the sheriff’s department said the exercise is continued training for the dogs, but more so reminds inmates that deputies are watching and looking for illegal substances floating through the facility.

“Shakedowns and searches are routine here in the jail. Why we do this is to cut down on contraband in the facility. It just makes things safer for the inmates and staff,” he said.

Sheriff’s department Capt. John Beshara said the exercises and routine searches curb inmate’s attempts at smuggling in illegal drugs, but every deputy and guard knows that someone is still going to make an attempt at getting drugs into the facility. He has seen inmates make every attempt from drugs hidden in clothes to drugs placed on the back of stamps and sent through the mail.

“They [inmates] are very creative when trying to get contraband into the facility, and they have 24 hours a day to try and figure out how to do it,” he said. “Dogs do a much better job of finding contraband than any human could. We appreciate the help from these other departments.”

Police dogs usually work an average of eight to nine years before retirement and can be trained in a number of different disciplines. Some dogs, such as Lars, are dual-purpose four-legged officers, meaning they are trained in drug recovery, tracking and officer safety. Other dogs, like Mercy, are single-purpose dogs, meaning they are trained in one discipline such as drug search and recovery.

The cost to purchase and train the dogs is about $13,500, the handlers said.