MADAWASKA, Maine — Madawaska police now have the St. John Valley area’s first drug and tracking dog. Luka, a German shepherd who is about a year and two months old, has nearly finished his drug training and will be ready to officially get to work in early 2025.
Police successfully pitched the idea to the town during a September, 2023, Select Board meeting. Officer Seth Querze volunteered to train the dog himself. Luka stays at Querze’s home and he is paid an additional three and a half hours of overtime per week to train and care for the dog.
Madawaska Police Chief Jamie Pelletier said that the state police have two dogs that cover Aroostook County, and that the county sheriff’s office also has a dog. The city of Caribou also has a police dog.
“This is a trend that’s coming,” said Pelletier. “I think a lot of smaller agencies are going to start getting dogs. Just because it’s proven that they work.”
A trained dog accurately detects drugs greater than 90 percent of the time, according to a 2023 study analyzing canine narcotic detection rates.
“There’s a lot of power in that dog’s nose,” Querze said. “It’s amazing what they can do.”
In Madawaska, methamphetamine is the most commonly seized drug. Pelletier said that between 2023 and 2024, the police have made 16 drug seizures, and 10 of those were during traffic stops. They seized a total of 34 grams of meth, 42 grams of fentanyl, 17 grams of cocaine, 2.6 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, and 12 pills pressed with a combination of illicit substances.
The Spruce Valley breeding facility in St. Agatha donated Luka to the department. Pelletier said the dog would have otherwise cost around $5,000.
The department also bought a 2022 Ford Explorer and outfitted it as a K9 Unit vehicle for Luka, which cost roughly $70,000. About $1,500 came as donations from local businesses. The rest was taken out of the town’s current budget, which was approved by residents earlier this year in June.
The vehicle is equipped with a climate control system to ensure Luka is cool if he has to stay in the car. It also has an alarm that will alert Querze if the temperature rises beyond a safe point.
A local Tractor Supply store also donated food for the entirety of Luka’s working period, which will be roughly eight years. But Querze said that, unfortunately, Luka is a picky eater and won’t touch any of the donated food, so the department spends roughly $110 per month on food that Luka prefers.
Luka began training in July through All Points Maine, which is based in Farmington. Pelletier said that the group travels to different locations in Maine to conduct canine training.
“I thought they would come up to the county more often than they have been, because it would have been less of a financial burden to just run down to Presque Isle for a day,” Pelletier said. “But Seth is pretty diligent about driving to Machias and back in the same day, although sometimes we have gotten a hotel room and then meals, so that’s been a cost factor that I didn’t really budget for.”
Between the unanticipated food costs, additional travel and lodging expenses to train Luka, and a few more vet trips than expected, the chief said costs for Luka are about $5,000 more than they expected. He added that much of these costs are only first-year expenses.
He said he should be able to cover the unexpected costs through other parts of the budget that end up in the black. And, looking ahead, he said he is considering creating a separate budget line that specifically addresses canine expenses such as vet visits and food.
Luka’s training includes detection of cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and methamphetamine. Querze said that they were not able to train Luka to detect fentanyl.
“There is no canine in the state of Maine that is allowed to indicate on fentanyl, because it is still a prescribed substance,” he said.
Querze added that Luka is not trained to detect marijuana, which is legal in the state of Maine.
Because of this, Pelletier said Madawaska does not use dogs from the border patrol, which is also located in Madawaska.
“If we call border patrol [dog] and they alert on marijuana, but the guy has a bag of meth in the car, that has to be the end of our search because the dog alerted on marijuana,” he said.
In order for Luka to work in other nearby towns, Pelletier said Madawaska and the other communities would need to sign a memorandum of understanding.
“If [Querze] is the only one on duty here, and let’s say Fort Kent needs him, then I’d have to back fill his shift here,” Pelletier said.
The memorandum would establish that any additional costs incurred by Madawaska during this time would be paid by the town that uses Luka’s services.
Querze said that, in Madawaska, police would not be able to conduct searches with Luka unless they have consent to do so or can articulate their suspicion, such as observing what they deem to be unusual behavior or signs of operating under the influence.
He said that to search anyone without consent or articulable suspicion would be a fourth amendment violation.
Pelletier added that some individuals may have bail or probation conditions in which they agree to random searches, seizures and testing regardless of suspicion.
Once Luka is certified to detect drugs, he will begin tracking training. This will help police locate missing people.
Pelletier said this training could help police find lost children or elderly individuals. He said the department has also been called in the past to help track people with dementia who have wandered off.
“People don’t go missing from here that much, but if we can find one person and prevent them from freezing to death, it’s worth it,” he said.
