K-9 Unit at Border

There is a new officer at the U-S Border at International Falls.

Chico, a three-year-old German Shepard, is part of a new U-S Border and Protection Services K-9 unit that will be sniffing out illegal drugs and illegal aliens trying to cross the border.

K-9 Enforcement officer Pete Benedix says the first step was getting Chico acclimatized to the area.

"There's some different smells in the area," says Benedix, "so it's a slow process. You've got vehicles running, you got trains, so the break-in period was very critical. He's responded very, very well."

Benedix says he and Chico went through an extensive training program before has been placed at the border.