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GOSHEN TOWNSHIP -- Township trustees heard further information on the potential implementation of a K-9 program at their meeting Monday.
"To push for a K-9 I feel is crucial for the township. Obviously, I can't tell you guys what to do but I can advise you that it would probably be really good for the township to have a K-9 for community policing, drug enforcement, and apprehending criminals in a faster safer environment," said officer Steven Stanton.
The potential formation of a K-9 program was first proposed to the trustees in their April meeting by Stanton, a certified K-9 officer who has his own personal K-9 association that could operate with the department, meaning the department would not have to form an association to handle the K-9 and its use. At that time Stanton presented trustees with the typical costs for establishing a K-9 program as well as sources of potential grant funding to mitigate the bulk of those costs.
Stanton presented trustees with further information in support of establishing a program in Monday's meeting, including a list of currently operating K-9 programs in the area, noting even local universities and hospitals have begun establishing K-9 programs to aid in community policing and for bomb detection. One such example was the Kent State Salem Campus' recent approval of a black lab.
"It's not just Belgian malinois and German shepherds, it could be anything you want," said Stanton.
If approved this would not be the first K-9 Stanton has trained for service, as the Sebring Police Department's German shorthair was trained by him.
Stanton also argued that the Drug Enforcement Agency was actively pushing for more local departments to start K-9 programs to help combat the ongoing fentanyl epidemic. Stanton said that K-9s were becoming increasingly vital in combating drug issues within communities and that their deployment would only become more efficient in this effort over time.
"It is known that criminals are getting better at concealing narcotics in their vehicles, so the K-9s are being even better utilized in response to find these hiding spots," said Stanton.
Stanton further cited several recent cases in which K-9s had proved vital to area departments, including a traffic stop in St. Clair Township in December where the deployment of that department's K-9 led to the apprehension of several bags of suspected drugs and over $1,000; and another incident in Struthers in November where the K-9 officer was able to track a suspect that had escaped on foot through DNA evidence.
Trustee Shawn Mesler questioned what the ongoing and day-to-day costs of a K-9 officer would be to the township.
Stanton said that while the specifics were dependent on the policy of a given department, typically the day-to-day costs of the K-9 are the responsibility of the handler. Stanton also said most of the costs associated with a K-9 program were the previously discussed up-front costs, and that the only regularly recurring costs associated with a K-9 he had experienced was food expenses. However, Stanton said he also knew of programs which would see warehouses donate food for the K-9 monthly, eliminating that expense.
Trustees Chairman John Bricker asked about potential veterinary costs for a K-9, noting that veterinary care can be very expensive.
Stanton said that while veterinary costs can be costly, Sebring Veterinary would donate their services to a potential K-9 and that a similar program for free medical care or a reduction in cost could likely be arranged with a local veterinarian.
Mesler also questioned the ongoing training schedule for a K-9 and how much that training would cost.
Stanton said that while the state requires four hours of ongoing training every two weeks, most departments will train for four to eight hours weekly, and that many area departments will collaborate, holding joint training sessions and sharing their training spaces. As far as cost, Stanton said it would only be in manpower as he would be off the road during that training period, so the department would have to schedule appropriately to compensate that time.
"Generally, the local police departments in the area all get together as a K-9 community and train all together," said Stanton.
Police Chief John Calko said that while the department did not currently have any active policies for a K-9 program, there is currently a "dormant" one that could be implemented if trustees decided to support the program.
Calko also said that while the department currently could request a K-9 from Salem or Canfield to respond in the event of suspected narcotics at a traffic stop, there is no guarantee any would be available. Calko said that should a K-9 be available there was no guarantee they could arrive in the required timeframe, noting that a dog must be able to arrive within "the reasonable timeframe to write a traffic citation," which is within 15 to 20 minutes.
Calko also highlighted the multi-purpose nature of a police K-9, noting the wide range of situations in which the department had deployed their K-9 when he had worked previously at the East Palestine Police Department.
"We used it for more than just drugs; we used it for finding kids that were lost, we used it for multiple multiple things," said Calko.
The trustees ultimately decided to organize a work session to discuss the matter with Stanton and Calko in further detail, and ensure they had all the necessary information before making any final decisions.