McPHERSON — County law enforcement told the McPherson County Board of Commissioners that the department will add a Belgian Malinois drug-detection dog purchased from asset-forfeiture funds.

The dog is being acquired from Thomas County and the department said the acquisition “is coming out of asset forfeiture, so it doesn't affect our budget,” and that the cost is $8,500. Officials said the dog is certified with her current handler and that local handlers expect one to two days of overlap training before deployment.

The department described the K-9 as a social female that will primarily work drug detection and evidence searches; officials said the dog will not be used for apprehension. “She will do drugs, evidence. We'll try to do tracking. It should work. It shouldn't be an issue. But, yeah, no apprehension,” a law-enforcement representative said.

Board discussion confirmed the purchase would start from the department's independent asset-forfeiture fund and not require a county general-fund appropriation. Commissioners asked whether formal approval was required; staff said the purchase would begin from the department's fund but no formal motion or recorded vote on the purchase appears in the transcript.

The county did not provide detailed recurring costs, long-term care plans, or the seller's identity in the discussion. Training certification was described as current with the dog's handler and expected to transfer after one to two days of local training.

The board thanked staff for the update and moved on to other business.