ST. ANTHONY — The city’s police department has a new drug dog thanks to its affiliation with TV cop turned St. Anthony reserve officer, Erik Estrada.

Estrada’s recently helped provide a 3-year-old German Shepherd/Malinois narcotics dog to the department.

“It will be a phenomenal asset not only to us but to the community,” said St. Anthony Police Chief Allen Neff.

Neff introduced the K-9 “Mako” as St. Anthony’s “newest police officer” who has been specifically trained in narcotics detection. Mako and his handler Sgt. Greg Belew recently returned from extensive hands-on training Utah, Neff said.

“K-9 Mako will work with Sergeant Belew in searching for narcotics in our local schools, on search warrants, and assist the Sheriff’s Office, Ashton Police, Rexburg and Idaho State police when requested,” Neff said.

Such dogs don’t come cheap, according to Neff.

“The St. Anthony Police Department has not had the opportunity to obtain a Police K-9, which run upwards of $15,000 or more. The Utah based K-9s program allows agencies to have a working police dog without having to spend such large amounts of money,” Neff said.

Estrada’s fellow reserve officer Daryl Williams and Belew asked the St. Anthony Police Department why the agency didn’t have a K-9 like Mako. The department responded that funding had been an ongoing problem, so Williams and Estrada’s team of reserve officers came up with the funds to provide the department with its own narcotics dog.

“The reserve team started a fundraising campaign conducted in October of last year and March of this year allowing the police department to purchase K-9 Mako without (the department) having to reallocate funds from an already stretched budget,” Neff said.

Belew expressed gratitude toward Estrada’s team.

“Without the support of our active reserve police officers and retired Chief Harris, we would not have been able to get this project accomplished. I am very grateful to reserve police officers, Erik Estrada, Daryl Williams, Ruben Garcia, Felix Rappaport, Max M., Chushim Botach, Rich D., Joseph Beedle and Anthony Santich. I look forward to working with K-9 Mako for many years to come to help our community,” he said.

Neff was equally grateful and thanked everyone for the donations that made the purchase of Mako possible.

“Police K-9 Mako will be a welcome addition to our team and to the department. I am confident that this will translate to a great working relationship for our community and help us better fight the ever present war on illegal drugs,” he said.

In the meantime, K-9 Mako and Belew plan to attend Idaho’s Police Officer Standards and Training to get their Idaho certificate that will be in addition to their Utah and national certifications, reported Neff.

Estrada joined the St. Anthony Police Department as a reserve officer in July 2016, and since that time, has contributed both funds and materials to boost the department’s abilities. He’s especially focused on helping protect children from internet predators. Estrada continues to work with the department in numerous ways, Neff said.