"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." And now, Hailey police might know too.
The opening promo lines of the 1950s radio program "The Shadow" seem fit for the city's newly certified drug sniffer—a 5-year-old black Labrador named Shadow.
Hailey police announced on Friday that Shadow and Sgt. Derek Stewart are now a certified K-9 team, having passed exams last month in Nampa.
Shadow, Hailey's first certified drug dog, is trained to sniff out cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana. For his exam, Shadow found two hidden samples of each of the four drugs within 15 minutes.
Both Stewart and Shadow are former officers with Ketchum police. Stewart joined the Hailey department almost three years ago and Shadow was acquired last summer.
Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter said the new K9 team is a valuable addition to the city's police force. The team will assist in cases involving drug search warrants, vehicle searches, school "drug sweeps" and in other situations where illegal drugs are suspected.
"Sgt. Stewart and Shadow will be in high demand as Shadow is currently the only south-county drug dog," Gunter said.
Shadow joins Dax, a Sun Valley canine officer, as the county's two drug-sniffing dogs.