Santa Fe has a new, four-legged jail officer.
Bixi Von Der Critterden is a 19-month-old drug-sniffing German Shepherd.
Warden Mark Gallegos says the jail hired Bixi as a proactive approach to meeting the goal of a drug-free jail. She has been on the job about a month, and Gallegos says her performance is outstanding.
Bixi was trained by Kevin Sheldahl, who runs and certifies K9 Services for Federal Agencies as well as for the New Mexico Department of Corrections.
Bixi and the K9 team are trained to conduct random searches as well as sweeps of the entire jail.