Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office’s Lieutenant Jara was one of the most successful drug enforcement officers the agency has ever had, so successful a Mexican drug cartel once put out a hit on her.
She saved several lives and was part of operations that led to the seizure of more than $11 million in drug money and huge amounts of illegal drugs in the community and trafficked along Interstate 80.
Lieutenant Jara gained national attention when she was featured on the “Dr. Phil” show for saving a 4-year-old Rock Springs boy in 2019 who had wandered out of his family’s yard.
That’s why when she died April 8, the SCSO and other local first responders gave Lieutenant Jara a hero’s sendoff with a long procession of vehicles with lights flashing as is tradition for a fallen or retired officer.
That she was a dog didn’t matter.
The K-9 officer for seven years with the SCSO was a standout performer from the start, the agency says. That continued through 2023, when she retired. Jara was nearly 13 when she died.
Jara had a legendary career for any law enforcement officer, human or K-9.
When the Sweetwater County Sheriff Office considered putting K-9 Jara’s name on her special sheriff unit, they were told there had been a hit ordered on Jara. So rather than advertise what unit the dog was in, the idea was scrapped. She retired in 2023 and passed away in April 2026. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
For her many rescues and colorful law career, K-9 Jara was awarded with a trip to the "Dr. Phil" show to appear on the segment, Behind the Badge. She was given her own seat on the plane and received star treatment. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
For her many rescues and colorful law career, K-9 Jara was awarded with a trip to the "Dr. Phil" show to appear on the segment, Behind the Badge. She was given her own seat on the plane and received star treatment. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell)
The Hit
The sheriff’s office had been considering putting her name on the side of its K-9 unit vehicle when it got word from an informant that there was “some heat on the dog.”
Seems because she had been so successful sniffing out illegal drugs, those trying to move them through Sweetwater County wanted Jara out of the way.
“When we got this information, we're like, ‘No, we're not going to tell them which car Jara is in,” recalled Derek Morrell, her handler, about deciding not to put her name on the car.
Jara was the first dual-purpose K-9 with the SCSO, which means she was more than just a bomb dog or narcotics dog. She also did fugitive apprehension, tracking and article locations.
Jara retired July 6, 2023, and enjoyed a retirement with Morrell’s family before she peacefully passed away in the arms of her fellow lieutenant.
“I'm just grateful to have had the career with her that I had,” Morrell said. “It's been really nice to see the impact that she had on others because I know she had a big impact on my life.”
Morrell is grateful for the outpouring of love that has been shown for his canine partner and said that she loved doing her job.
When the Sweetwater County Sheriff Office considered putting K-9 Jara’s name on her special sheriff unit, they were told there had been a hit ordered on Jara. So rather than advertise what unit the dog was in, the idea was scrapped. She retired in 2023 and passed away in April 2026. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
When the Sweetwater County Sheriff Office considered putting K-9 Jara’s name on her special sheriff unit, they were told there had been a hit ordered on Jara. So rather than advertise what unit the dog was in, the idea was scrapped. She retired in 2023 and passed away in April 2026. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
When the Sweetwater County Sheriff Office considered putting K-9 Jara’s name on her special sheriff unit, they were told there had been a hit ordered on Jara. So rather than advertise what unit the dog was in, the idea was scrapped. She retired in 2023 and passed away in April 2026. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell)
A Stellar Career
“She paved the way to what the program is now here at the sheriff's office," Morrell told Cowboy State Daily. “We currently have three dual-purpose dogs that we use for search and rescue, all the way to apprehending fugitives.”
Jara was originally paired with another officer who could not handle her because she was so powerful. Morrell took over the job.
“We were really nervous about having a dual-purpose dog, because generally they have that stigma of being very aggressive, very violent,” Morrell said.
Since Morrell was going to be her handler, he was the one that Jara took down with her bite when commanded during a demonstration at the training school in Kansas.
As soon as Morrell took off the protective equipment, Jara leaned right up against him and let him pet her.
When Morrell tried to lead Jara on her leash, he said he was really clumsy and kept accidentally stepping on her because he had never handled a dog before.
“She didn't care who was on the end of the leash,” Morrell said. “She just knew her job and that's where we're like, ‘Yep, we like this dog.'”
During her seven-year career, Jara would go after a fugitive and then switch into another mode for a school presentation with kids enthusiastically petting her.
“That’s where we really fell in love with her,” Morrell said.
First Rescue
Jara had only been with the sheriff’s office a short time when a 90-year-old man with Alzheimer's had wandered outside in freezing temperatures.
Deputies had searched for him without success, and finally Morrell got his new partner on the scene.
Jara hit the scent and pulled so hard, the leash flew out of his hand.
“She just bailed down into these bushes,” Morrell said. “They were tall and thick, and I couldn't go through them.”
While Morrell was trying to figure out how to get his dog back, he heard a man’s voice coo to the “puppy.”
Jara had found the missing man in a ravine.
Morrell realized they had been walking right by the man calling his name without success because he was not answering back.
“She laid with him until we were able to find our way back to him,” Morrell said.
Jara kept the man warm by crawling on his lap and would bark to let the searchers know their location.
They had to find another way in and finally rescued the man who otherwise, Morrell believes, would never have been found until it was too late.
“That was our first time out of the chute," Morrell said. “We were impressed by what this dog could do.”
Another rescue happened when a woman fled from a domestic abuse situation in a snowstorm. She had jumped out of a truck and took off.
“That was the one time I did let Jara off leash intentionally,” Morrell said. “Jara found the lady and actually climbed up in her jacket to keep the woman warm until we got there.”
Once again, Jara showed that she knew how to act on her own while doing her job.
Lt. Derek Morrell described Jara as a dog first, and then a working member of the sheriff’s department. When not working her beat, Jara was a cuddly family dog who Morrell’s kids adored and grew up with. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
(Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
Lt. Derek Morrell described Jara as a dog first, and then a working member of the sheriff’s department. When not working her beat, Jara was a cuddly family dog who Morrell’s kids adored and grew up with. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
Lt. Derek Morrell described Jara as a dog first, and then a working member of the sheriff’s department. When not working her beat, Jara was a cuddly family dog who Morrell’s kids adored and grew up with. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell) 
K-9 Lieutenant Jara would be awarded with toys for a job well done, whether that was apprehending a fugitive or locating a lost person. (Courtesy Lt. Derek Morrell)
National Attention
In 2020, Jara was featured on the “Dr. Phil” TV talk show for saving a 4-year-old boy in Rock Springs in 2019 who had wandered out of his family’s yard.
“He had communication issues and had locked himself into a stranger’s car,” Morrell said. “He nearly ended up passing out because it was getting so hot.”
Jara hit on the vehicle that otherwise would have been overlooked in time to save the boy’s life.
When the show called to feature Jara on a segment titled "Behind the Badge," Morrell thought it was a prank and kept hanging up.
It took his public information officer and Sheriff John Grossnickel to convince him otherwise.
“Dr. Phil is a huge dog lover, and they saw the story about the kid Jara rescued,” Morrell said.
Jara, Morrell and Grossnickle were all flown to the show. Jara was even given her own seat on the plane.
“We spent a lot of time backstage after the show because Dr. Phil just loved watching her work,” Morrell said. “It was just neat to highlight the value of the working dog for first responders, and to have our tiny state of Wyoming chosen out of the entire nation to be on the show.”
Dr. Phil McGraw was a big fan of Jara and spent time with her before and after the show.
Jara was also given the Heroic Dog Award by PETA for the rescue of the boy, though she was most likely more appreciative of the bag of doggie toys and vegan treats.
"Deputy Jara's keen nose and sense of duty likely meant the difference between life and death for this terrified little boy," PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien said at the time. "PETA encourages anyone who's inspired by her heroism to consider providing a dog who's waiting at a local animal shelter with a lifelong home."
Bulletproof
Jara was also the enemy of the drug cartel that had ordered the hit on her. To protect her in the more dangerous aspects of her job, she got a custom-fit, bulletproof, and stab-proof vest.
“She had to wear it on several different missions,” Morrell said. “It's very big and cumbersome, but it was just a nice little piece of mind that it was a little more protection that we could give her.”
The donation came from the nonprofit Vested Interest in K-9s Inc. and Alaska K-9 Center in North Pole, Alaska.
Morrell said it was even more special since her particular vest, worth nearly $2,000, was contributed in honor of Helo, the first Alaska State trooper K-9 killed in the line of duty.
The dog was fatally shot while pursuing a suspect in September 2016, and Morrell said that highlights the danger K-9s face every day.
All three of the current canines in Sweetwater County each have been custom fitted with their own vest to carry on the tradition that Jara started.
Morrell said that Jara showed the department the value of a dual-purpose trained K-9, and the three they have now are even more trained and attuned than she was.
“Jara set the standard,” Morrell said. “We are continuing the K-9 program and trying to get progressively better each time.”
Morrell is now working from a desk and no longer a handler, but he says that the program is in excellent hands.
“The canine program still falls underneath me, so I get to break away from the office and train with the dogs because that's really where my passion is,” Morrell said. “I get to go and still play once in awhile.”
As Morrell prepared to say his final goodbyes to Jara, he reflected back on her career and said that she loved what she did.
“She was so laid back,” Morrell said. “She's a dog first and then she would do her job. It was just neat watching her.”
Contact Jackie Dorothy at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
