Sheriff’s Office “Yukon” Becomes Oregon's First Certified Law Enforcement Electronics Detection K9

Date

1/5/2024

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office recently celebrated its first year of service with K9 Yukon, the first law enforcement K9 in Oregon certified to detect electronic storage devices.

A Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix, Yukon was born in June 2020 in The Netherlands. He officially began service at Clackamas County in August 2022. Yukon is certified in Patrol through the Oregon Police Canine Association (OPCA) and certified in Electronic Storage Device (ESD) detection through the California Narcotic Canine Association (CNCA). His favorite toy, according to his handler Sgt. Erik McGlothin, is "any ball attached to a string."

ESD certification means that "Yukon finds digital storage devices," explains Sgt. McGlothin. "He was trained to source two different odors unique to storage devices. What that means is after a search warrant has been served, we can go through and sniff for any missing or hidden digital storage devices that may be obscured, that we couldn't see with the human eye."

This can be a game-changer in investigations where a suspect is attempting to hide illicit or incriminating data on a phone, thumb drive, hard drive or laptop.

On one recent deployment in a domestic-violence case, Yukon's unique skillset allowed detectives to "clear the outdoor area where the victim’s phone had last connected to service," recalls Sgt. McGlothin. "We were able to help detectives confirm there was no cell phone in the area — thus allowing the investigation to move on to other points of interest."

Yukon is Sgt. McGlothin's third K9 partner, following partnerships with Max and Grimm.

CCSO's K9 Unit officially started in the early 1990s with two dogs. Today, the Sheriff's Office employs seven dogs with a variety of skillsets. Six serve as Patrol dogs, with five (K9s Ajax, Coda, Duco, Urban and Valli) cross-trained in narcotics detection and one (K9 Yukon) cross-trained in electronics detection. CCSO also employs a drug-detection dog (K9 Abbie) at the Clackamas County Jail. Collectively, the drug-certified dogs can detect heroin, meth, cocaine and fentanyl.

The unit trains together eight hours a week, and three of the dogs are additionally trained to work with Clackamas County's SWAT Team. The dogs re-certify every year through the OCPA.

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Brian McCall, Public Information Officer

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office

Communications Unit