Photo by Deb Gau Sheriff Eric Wallen and Sgt. Matt Hoekstra present a proposal to train a new K-9 to the Lyon County Board on Tuesday.

MARSHALL — It’s a resource that area law enforcement hasn’t had for a long time, Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen said. But now, the Sheriff’s Office will be training a new K-9.

On Tuesday, Lyon County commissioners heard a proposal from Sgt. Matt Hoekstra of the Sheriff’s Office to train a narcotics detection dog.

“That’s something that we’re really missing in this office,” Hoekstra told commissioners.

Before Hoekstra started working for the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, he was a K-9 handler in Goodhue County, Wallen said. With Hoekstra’s experience, the county could potentially train a drug detection dog locally.

Hoekstra was offering to train his 5-month-old golden retriever puppy to be a narcotics detection dog, Wallen said. If the dog passes the certification exam to be a K-9, Hoekstra would donate it to the Sheriff’s Office. Besides being a resource for the Sheriff’s Office, the dog could also potentially do drug searches at schools, or community demonstrations.

In the terms of the proposed donation, the dog would be returned to Hoekstra when it is no longer able to work, or if Hoekstra leaves employment with Lyon County.

The proposal Wallen and Hoekstra brought forward, Lyon County would cover the expenses of the K-9 program, including the cost of the certification test, and equipment like training boxes and a squad car kennel and heat alarm. The county would be responsible for the $5,000 in equipment costs.

The Sheriff’s Office would also be responsible for costs like dog food, veterinary bills and regular certification costs. Wallen said the Sheriff’s Office would be seeking donations and grant funding to help with those costs, if possible.

County commissioners were supportive of the idea. Commissioner Todd Draper said a K-9 would be “a great asset” for county law enforcement. The board accepted the donation.