# Nevada Correctional Officers Push for Prison Drug-Detection Dogs as Overdoses Soar

Source: https://dogfriendlylasvegas.com/dog-news/local-dog-news/nevada-correctional-officers-push-for-prison-drug-detection-dogs-as-overdoses-soar/
Published: 2026-08-31

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Nevada’s correctional officers union is pushing to bring drug-detection dogs into the state’s prison system for the first time, after overdoses inside state prisons jumped from 12 in 2021 to more than 120 in 2025.

 

Nevada is one of the few states without a canine unit in its state prison system, according to the Fraternal Order of Police Nevada C.O. Lodge 21, reports the [Nevada Independent](https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/to-solve-rising-overdoses-nevada-prisons-may-turn-to-a-sidelined-solution-dogs).

 

Union president Paul Lunkwitz said the proposal would start as a pilot program at High Desert State Prison, the state’s largest and highest-security facility, located near Indian Springs northwest of Las Vegas.

 

If the pilot succeeds, Lunkwitz said he wants to expand it statewide with at least 25 dogs.

 

The rising overdose numbers have created what Lunkwitz called a domino effect, driving up hospitalizations and pushing overtime costs into the millions of dollars as officers respond to medical emergencies.

 

Prison officials have floated a canine unit before, but the current overdose crisis has renewed momentum behind the idea.

 

Union leaders say they have met with Governor Joe Lombardo’s office, which they described as interested in the proposal.

 

A spokesperson for the governor’s office told the Nevada Independent it will continue working with the union on the idea, and that any K9 searches adopted should apply to all individuals at facilities where the dogs are deployed.

 

The Nevada Department of Corrections has not said publicly whether it supports the plan.

 

Trained detection dogs are expensive, and Lunkwitz pointed to a dog Las Vegas police purchased in 2018 for $20,000 as a reference point for cost, adding uncertainty about whether the Legislature would fund a full program.

 

Nicholas Shepack of the Fines and Fees Justice Center has suggested a canine unit could serve as a more humane alternative to restrictions on physical mail, which correctional officers say has become a common way drugs enter prisons since a 2023 law required facilities to hand inmates original, physical copies of their mail.

 

As of publication, the proposal remains in the planning stages, with no confirmed funding or start date for the pilot program.