SILVERHILL, Ala. — Silverhill Police Chief Kim Wasdin has a new recruit for the Silverhill police force. He’s well-trained, eager and works for praise, pats and bowls of kibble. He is literally, one in 100.

His name, however, might give pause. This friendly young German answers to the name of “Crack.”

Crack is a 19-month-old German Shepherd. He was obtained from Germany and has already been trained in drug detection. He lives with his handler, Heath Mosley, a reserve officer with the Silverhill Police Department. Crack is a friendly young dog, and gets along well with Mosley’s son, Peyton, 5, and the cats that share Mosley’s home.

He had a top trainer at Canine Concepts,” said Mosley. The training/breeding/importing facility is located in Springville.

The reason that he’s “one in 100” is that according Wasdin, only one dog out of 100 has the right combination of smarts, courage, and scenting ability for police work.

Mosley himself had to go for training and “certification” in handling a drug dog. Mosley also handles the department’s bloodhound, Meg.

“Meg is a tracking dog, and Crack is a drug dog,” explained Wasdin, adding that both have important but separate tasks to perform for the department.

One thing Mosley has had to learn is another language.

While it’s not likely Crack will obey a command from someone other than his handler or someone from the police department, to be safe, Crack’s working commands are given in a foreign language.

Mosley purchased Crack for the department and is paying for his training himself. He declined to give a dollar value.

While Crack’s primary handler will be Mosley, all the members of the Silverhill Police Department are getting familiar with Crack and he with them. That way, should Mosley be ill or injured, Crack will know it is all right to accept commands from that person.

“We are all getting familiar with him,” said Wasdin.

“You have to learn the signs, to learn what he’s telling you,” said Mosley.

Right now, Wasdin says, Crack and Mosley are getting used to working together, but soon, the team will be patrolling the streets of Silverhill, checking for drugs in a variety of locations.

“We don’t want to give a schedule (when Crack will be on duty),” said Wasdin.

Crack may appear at a routine traffic stop, and Crack will be called at any time the presence of drugs is suspected.

“Currently Crack can scent cocaine, methamphetamines, and marijuana,” said Wasdin.

Crack may be able to let his handler know if he finds other drugs, but the exact “signal” and the complete list of drugs is confidential. There are a few prescription drugs that will cause Crack to signal, but that situation is easily handled. The Silverhill town council recently authorized the police department’s purchase of several non-narcotic “smell alikes” to further Crack’s training.

Mosley says he “grew up with dogs.” His first dog was Buster, a bulldog mix when he was a youngster, and has had several since. Watching Crack and Mosley interact, it’s clear dog and master are well-suited to each other.

“He’s a pet when he’s home,” said Mosley.

While Crack is primarily a “drug dog,” and his job is to find concealed narcotics, he will become more and more protective of Mosley and other police officers as time goes on.

“He won’t be a guard dog, but any dog becomes protective of its trainer,” explained Wasdin.

Wasdin mentioned that the department is looking for donations of supplies for Crack, including a bulletproof vest for him.

And if all goes well, another canine will be joining the Silverhill Police Department in awhile.

“We have a puppy, and it will be another eight to 10 months before we know if it is capable of being a patrol dog,” said Wasdin.