Beny, the drug-sniffing dog, hitting the road with state police trooper to fight drugs

Beny has a nose for drugs.

The 1-year-old Belgian Malinois dog from the Czech Republic — hence only one “n” in his name — and handler Trooper Jason Young are newly assigned to the Kittanning state police station.

The state bought the dog for about $8,500 and paid for his training.

Now, finding illegal drugs is Beny’s only job. He is trained to detect heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.

The dog appears raring to go when Young points and quietly tells him where to search. Such a demonstration is part of routine training.

Crime trends were the reason Young and Beny were assigned to what’s commonly referred to as the Kittanning station, even though it’s actually along Parkview Drive Extension in East Franklin.

“Last year, there were 100 more drunken- or drugged-driving arrests made by troopers working from the station than the year before,” said Sgt. Rocco Russo, a supervisor there.

Fully half of those arrests were for drugged driving, said Lt. Eric Simko, the station commander.

The final 2018 drunken- and drugged-driving arrest totals are not yet public.

Young and his dog will patrol the Route 28 corridor and elsewhere where needed, but they will mainly be assigned in Armstrong County, Simko said.

Simko said the drug-sniffing dog will help to protect Armstrong County towns from Pittsburgh-area drug dealers bringing their wares into the county. In addition to the Route 28 expressway, some are using Route 66 and other roads to enter the Alle-Kiski Valley, so using the Kittanning station as a base makes sense.

“We are also dealing with some drugs being mailed to rural Armstrong and Clarion counties,” Simko said.

Armstrong County District Attorney Katie Charlton welcomed the assignment as well as a state police offer to help train local police dogs and officers.

“So many drug cases start with traffic stops,” Charlton said. “We’re seeing a number of stops along Route 28, and there has been a large amount of drugs each time.”

Beny and police dogs trained like him also sniff packages at post offices to determine whether police should investigate.

“Drug dogs frequently find stashes of drug-trade money because of the odor of drugs on some of the bills,” said Capt. Chris Yanofff, who supervises state police K-9 units and some emergency operations.

“Sometimes, it’s a couple thousand dollars. Other times it’s several hundred thousand dollars,” said Young’s immediate supervisor, Cpl. Steve Lucia.

Troop D, of which the Kittanning station is part, is also strengthening its K-9 options.

One trooper is attending classes at federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices to become a trainer for K-9 handlers. She is slated to complete her classes in March.

Chuck Biedka is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chuck at 724-226-4711, cbiedka@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ChuckBiedka.