Wednesday afternoon, an energetic dog bounced through the lobby at the Stafford Hansell Government Center playing a game in pursuit of a green tennis ball. She pressed her nose against the walls, the carpet and the chairs, searching for a scent that would bring back the reward toy.

In the hallway across from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office window, she stopped to examine a coat draped lazily over a bench and sat. Questioned by her handler, she lowered herself down, committed to the site. Questioned again, she barked, and Canine Deputy Lindsey Evans tossed the dog a ball, rewarding the dog for “alerting” on the scent of a drug.

“That’s not something we placed there, but she’s confident that there is or was something in the pocket of that coat,” Evans said before confirming with the jacket’s owner that it had been around drugs (although there was nothing in it at the time). “Every time she has alerted to something, it’s been confirmed that there was or is a controlled substance there.”

Evans and Stevie have been on patrol in Umatilla County since July, and in December, Evans was named employee of the month for Umatilla County for her dedication toward launching the drug dog program. Lt. Glen Diehl nominated her for the honor.

“Lindsey has consistently gone above and beyond. You have levels of expectation for what you expect in a job, and then you have an employee like Lindsey who always goes above and beyond,” he said. “On her own time, Lindsey has been getting training and trying to train dogs to become drug dogs – not every dog can make it – but she located the right dog, and within a week, both she and the dog were certified. They’ve been a phenomenal team, and a lot of meth, coke and marijuana has been taken off the street because of them.”

Since July, Stevie has initiated 22 cases by alerting to a drug scent, even though the dog was off patrol for six weeks after having surgery on her paw. At her first alert for UCSO, Stevie found almost an ounce of methamphetamine, and the dog has discovered all four trained controlled substances – heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana – during the last six months.

“I wanted to start this program because we have a serious drug problem in our county, and I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone,” Evans said. “Stevie is a great tool and something we’ve needed for a long time. Dogs are a tool you can’t replace in this job. There’s no way for us to see and smell what they can.”

Originally from La Grande, Evans has been with the UCSO for six years, and Undersheriff Terry Rowan said Evans has talked about setting up a drug dog since she started in the criminal division.

“She has been driven in that direction ever since she’s been here. She’s had this goal that some day she was going to be a dog handler for law enforcement,” Rowan said. “She did everything she could to make that happen, and it did. The dog has already proven itself.”

Although Rowan said Evans has had the full support of the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office in her quest, tight budgets prevented the department from giving her funding to seek and develop the program.

“This is a program we’ve wanted for a long time, but it’s not only about funding: It’s about finding the person willing to put in the dedication of having a working dog,” Diehl said. “This type of dog lives to work. Finding drugs is a game for him, so you can’t expect him to perform for work and then be a regular dog at home. There’s a tremendous amount of responsibility. Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you stop training the dog, keeping its senses sharp.”

Evans began taking training classes and searching for potential canine partners off the clock. After two animals failed to come through as drug dogs, Evans said she had almost given up on finding an animal suitable when she heard about a dog – Stevie – from the Ontario Police Department. When the dog handler from that department moved to another assignment, Ontario donated Stevie to the UCSO because of Evans’ interest.

Evans said the 7-year-old is a mix of German shepherd and collie who now lives with her. Veterinarian James A. Burgess of Country Animal Hospital has donated medical care and vaccinations. Although the program itself is expensive, through donations and Evans’ work, it will not cost Umatilla County anything. Rowan and Diehl lauded Evans for her commitment to the program and for her dedication to funding it.

“By our early evaluations, it has been a very successful program,” Rowan said. “And this is something that wouldn’t have happened with out Lindsey’s hard work.”