Police departments say they can be more creative in their law enforcement efforts when their force has a dog.
You also have to be creative with financing.
Fundraising is often done to cover the purchase and ongoing costs of a police dog. Bill Sombo, a veteran dog trainer from North Huntingdon, said any costs, including those incurred by taxpayers, are outweighed by the value police dogs bring to their communities.
“The money is worth it,” he said, “it all depends on how well the dog is used.”
Police dog programs across the region have been in the spotlight as some departments hired new dogs and others retired, while two dogs in one community had their jobs abruptly terminated.
An estimated 15 departments in Westmoreland County have police dogs, and most are certified for dual-purpose work: working in both drug enforcement and general patrol.
According to officials, the multi-purpose dogs offer the departments the best value for money.
The initial cost of a police dog can range from $7,200 to $15,000, not including basic training, Sombo said. Specialized training for a multi-purpose dog costs about $6,000.
Here, municipalities are usually dependent on generous benefactors.
Country singer Brian Kelley surprised a 12-year-old girl from Harrison over the weekend by purchasing an 18-month-old German Shepherd for the Tarentum Police Department. Kaley Bastine had organized a concert with Kelley to raise money to purchase the dog.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli used a drug seizure account this year to donate $6,000 to the Delmont Police Department to train their police dog and contribute $5,000 to purchase a dog for the Westmoreland County Jail.
“They are a useful tool,” said Robert Hickman, master trainer and president of the North American Police Working Dog Association.
“Every department should have a police dog,” Sombo said.
Police dogs can deter criminal activity and encourage potential criminals to avoid a community with police dogs, Sombo and Hickman said. Police dogs can be used in many different tasks, such as searching for crime weapons, searching buildings or areas, locating missing persons and making arrests. Sometimes their presence can also be helpful in public relations.
Delmont restarted its police dog program this year with a Belgian Malinois named Dirk and about $60,000 in state funding.
Over the course of 14 years, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has distributed nearly $2 million nationwide to assist departments with the costs of police dogs, including the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department.
Handler Challenges
Last month, Latrobe retired his 8-year-old German shepherd, Zeus, and Jeannette officials unexpectedly ended the city’s longstanding program that kept a Belgian Malinois, Diesel, and a Dutch shepherd, Kilo.
The dissolution of Jeannette’s program came about a month after two dog handlers filed suit in federal court, claiming the city violated labor laws by failing to pay overtime or cover expenses for caring for the two dogs outside of normal work hours.
“The police dog is not like the guns and gun belt they give us,” Hickman said. “Police dogs are living, breathing animals. … The handler’s life now revolves around these dogs 24/7.”
When helping a department get a program up and running, Sombo makes sure the community is aware of the handler’s rights regarding the dog’s at-home care.
According to Sombo and Hickman, a municipality does not have to pay a dog walker overtime – it can get creative and allow the walker to finish his shift early to make up for the time spent at home caring for the dog.
“This does not mean that the department has to pay money,” Sombo said. “They can compensate the officer in time.”
Jeannette officials estimated in documents filed last week that additional overtime related to home care could cost the city as much as $35,000 per officer.
Canine teams are required by state law to complete at least 16 hours of monthly maintenance training and be evaluated by a trainer at least once a year. Sombo works with 25 to 30 local handlers and dogs weekly through Strategic Law Enforcement K9 Training Inc.
The annual costs of veterinary visits and insurance, amounting to several hundred dollars, could be covered by taxpayers or fundraisers.
While it is expensive to acquire a four-legged police officer, Sombo and Hickman believe the benefits are worth it.
“You can’t judge the value of a sniffer dog at the crime scene unless you know that the bad guy only gave up because the sniffer dog was there,” Sombo said. “How much is that worth just because the dog was out of the car?”
Workload varies
The amount of work a police dog can do depends on the job of its handler and the community it is deployed in. Hickman said some police dogs respond exclusively to crime cases and go from one call to the next, while others have a call every week.
Pittsburgh police dogs have been working with their handlers for several weeks on an enforcement operation downtown after authorities increased their presence there due to violent incidents. A five-person canine unit from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office is funded entirely by donations.
“As a dog handler, you have to be able to think outside the box and involve your dog in the case as much as possible,” Sombo said.
Police dogs are beneficial for public relations, Hickman said. Many local departments hold demonstrations to connect with citizens of all ages and allow them to see the person behind the uniform.
“Suddenly we are friends,” he said.
Westmoreland County Park Police Chief Henry Fontana said the department’s newest police dog, Elliott, a Belgian shepherd, began duty last year. Elliott joined Rico, a German shepherd-Belgian shepherd mix trained to detect firearms and explosives.
The department launched a massive fundraiser to get Elliott and a vehicle outfitted for him and his handler. The money raised will now go toward maintaining the program.
Both dogs support facilities across the county, Fontana said, adding that he would like to expand the program.
“Everyone loves dogs,” he said. “These sniffer dogs are great ice breakers because people come up to you.”
Renatta Signorini is a reporter for TribLive covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been with the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at [email protected].
