K9 Tyler Sniffs Out Large Drug Bust
July 27, 2021 by Kate Nadolski
K9 Tyler and her handler, Officer Lisa Koeppel with the Cheyenne Police Department in Wyoming are back at it again, this time with a successful drug bust of nearly 100 pounds of marijuana.
K9 Tyler was certified in May of 2019 with the Wyoming Police Service Dog Association for the detection of the odors of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.
Since her journey began with the department, Tyler has made huge strides.
“In the first three months of this 2021, we have probably quadrupled our narcotic find totals from all of last year,” said Koeppel.
Koeppel said included in those recent positive numbers, is a notable drug bust that transpired from a routine traffic stop. After traveling behind a vehicle for a few miles, Koeppel said she noticed the driver fail to use a signal to switch lanes. She carried out a traffic stop and approached the driver.
“When I walked up to the vehicle to talk to the male driver, I noticed right away that he was overwhelmingly nervous,” said Koeppel. “He kept saying he needed a bathroom and that he was going to throw up, but I knew that wasn’t the case because I witnessed him pass multiple exits on the highway with easy access to truck stops with restrooms.”
Koeppel said she knew something was up and returned to her vehicle, calling for a backup officer. Once the additional officer made it to the scene, Koeppel released K9 Tyler from the vehicle to allow her to prepare for a free air sniff.
“I walked her up to the rear of the vehicle and I gave her the command to begin the free air sniff process,” explained Koeppel.
Almost immediately, K9 Tyler indicated a hit on the exterior of the car.
“Once she locked on that odor coming from the trunk of the car, she sat down with her nose on the area, signaling to me that she had a hit.”
This signal from K9 Tyler gave Koeppel probable cause to search the vehicle and what she found inside just confirmed what K9 Tyler already knew.
“Inside the trunk was six duffel bags containing nearly 100 pounds of marijuana,” said Koeppel.
The driver was arrested.
Koeppel said she’s thankful for her partnership with K9 Tyler and stresses the importance behind the role police canines play, especially when it comes to sniffing out narcotics.
“If K9 Tyler wasn’t there, this drug bust would’ve never happened because I had no way to smell the drugs to know they were in the vehicle,” she said.
“K9 Tyler plays an essential role in getting narcotics off the streets because of her training and her sensitive nose, which is capable of smelling items that a human could never detect.”
In October 2017, the Cheyenne Police Department won a grant from Tyler Technologies to fund a K9 unit as a part of Tyler’s commitment to making communities safer together. To provide this grant, Tyler Technologies worked with Sean’s K-9s, an organization committed to providing grants to law enforcement agencies in need of financial support to establish or maintain their K-9 teams.
Follow along with this series as it details the Cheyenne PD, Officer Lisa Koeppel, and her new K9, named Tyler.