Police Chief Robert Lister asked City Council to reinstate the police department’s K-9 Division – this time with a drug/rescue dog trained not to attack.
At council’s meeting Oct. 12, Lister noted how BCPD had a dual-purpose K-9 in 2016 that had two unprovoked dog bites and was sent back to US K-9.
“I am looking to restart our K-9 division with a drug/rescue dog that will be trained not to bite,” Lister said at the meeting and in his letter explaining the program to council.
“Having a single purpose Narcotics K-9, eliminates that reliance on other agencies and makes the department self-reliant and independent,” the chief said.
The new dog will enable BCPD to address the drug trafficking and increase seizures of large drug shipments and the arrest and imprisonment of “numerous distributors and removal of many drugs off the street,” Lister said.
He said the K-9 program will cost about $20,000, including $9,500 for the dog, $3,500 for training, while outfitting a patrol unit with K-9 equipment will be $6,000.
He said several community members are willing to donate money for the K-9 and the $3,500 in training will come from the department’s training budget.
Council Member Floyce Brown told Lister not to use US K-9 for the next dog.
The chief said the next K-9 will be shown around to the community, a practice that makes dogs less inclined to attack.
“This dog will not have any training to attack,” Mayor Robert Nelson said.
Lister also got approval for his employee referral program.
That program will pay a total of $1,500 to any employee who recruits the successful through the selection process to completion of the probationary period.
Council showed overall approval for the program.
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