New Whiteland Officer Cody Robertson and K-9 JJ perform a demonstration to the New Whiteland Town Council on April 5. The council approved adding JJ to the police department.
Emily Ketterer | Daily Journal
The New Whiteland Police Department is restarting its K-9 program for little cost.
New Whiteland Police Officer Cody Robertson started at the department in January, coming from the Southport Police Department. There, he was a K-9 handler and when he left, his dog, JJ, came with him.
New Whiteland was offered to add JJ to its police force for little cost, compared to starting a K-9 program from scratch. The town can lease him for $1 a year and around $700 additional in expenses for insurance and vet visits.
K-9s are typically sold between departments when their handlers move to a new job because it can be difficult to give a dog a new handler when they have a bond with their original handler.
JJ and Robertson have already gone through the required training, and follow up training is free for the remainder of JJ’s life, Robertson said.
Robertson and Police Chief Joe Rynerson gave a presentation to the New Whiteland Town Council last week presenting the case to add a K-9 to the town’s police department. Rynerson said New Whiteland has not had a K-9 in years.
“What we’re asking is for your approval, since it’s going to cost us almost virtually peanuts to get started, to have the dog,” Rynerson said.
During his presentation, Robertson listed the benefits a K-9 can add to a police department. He said K-9s assist greatly with catching narcotics trafficking and can help deter criminals from driving drugs through the town, if they know K-9 is on duty.
“I’ve had numerous violent offenders that have been shot, tased, OC sprayed, they would say they would take all of that again, but they do not want to mess with the dogs,” Robertson said. “There is a psychological deterrent when the dog is there.”
K-9s are also helpful with missing person searches, and they help build connections with other police departments who need K-9 assistance, Robertson said. Robertson added that K-9s are a good way to bond with the community because citizens love meeting police dogs.
As part of his presentation, Roberston brought in JJ, who is a 5-year-old German Shepard, to perform a narcotics search demonstration. He brought JJ around to four boxes, and he had to find the box with the “target odor,” which JJ did successfully.
Generally, the cost to get a new K-9 is between $27,000 to $30,000, Robertson and Rynerson said, so it is a deal for New Whiteland to get one for roughly $700 annually. A vehicle will have to be outfitted for a K-9 kennel, which Robertson said is already taken care of with a donation. The New Whiteland VFW plans to donate the car kennel once the K-9 program gets going, he said.
One of the new vehicles the police department just bought will be outfitted for the K-9, Rynerson said.
The council members did not object to the idea of adding a K-9 to its police force. They voted 4-0 to approve adding JJ to the department, and get the process moving to get a car outfitted.
