Roosevelt County Adds Canine To Force

Deputy’s Partner

A new weapon to decrease crime in Roosevelt County has been added recently on the county’s east end.

Bjorn, a 1-year-old canine, has made the move to eastern Montana and will work with Roosevelt County Sheriff Office’s deputy Russ Corbell.

Corbell, who has been a member of the sheriff’s office since 2020, attended canine handler school in Bozeman during May. It was there that he had the opportunity of meeting Bjorn on May 10.

“We bonded right away,” the deputy said of the relationship.

Once Corbell’s four weeks of training is up, he needs to continue instruction for as long as they work together. The two are partners 24 hours a day.

“He’s an excellent tracking dog and narcotics detector dog,” Corbell said. “He’s very kind and very loving.”

The Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office already has a trained canine to work the western end of the county.

“It will be good to stop some of the drug trafficking in and through our county,” Corbell said.

Recently for two stops, canines were requested from Richland County and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to assist.

“It will be nice to have the dog available right here,” Corbell said.

In addition, Bjorn’s tracking skills could be of great assistance if an elderly people or a youngster is reported missing by family members. Corbell said he has always been interested in being a canine handler for law enforcement.

“I always love learning new things,” he explained. “I love dogs. I’ve wanted to use a dog as a partner for different aspects of the work.”