The police in Beaver Dam is raising funds for K-9 officers by selling stuffed animals versions of such police dogs. The fundraiser is ongoing.
The Beaver Dam Police department currently has only one police dog. But there is simply way too much work and the need for a second dog is there more so than ever, officer Matt Reil says to WiscNews.
A second K-9 unit will do much to help fighting crime in the area. Sadly the authorities have not been granted the needed funding for a second police dog. Instead it has given the police department permission to seek other means of funding. The funding should not only be for the getting and training of a new K-9 officer, but the police department has to show the commission that it can handle the costs.
So this is how the idea of making and selling K-9 stuffed animals was born. “We want to raise as much as possible to continue with it”, police chief John Kreuziger says. So far the initiative has been doing well. Officer Kevin Hall is one of the leading people in the fundraiser.
He says that the current K-9 officer, named Blade, cost more than $10 000 in 2013. The investment was worth it though. Blade’s actions have resulted in 68 arrests. The problem is Blade can only work during the second shift with his handler officer Nathan Keener.
The new K-9 officer would work during the third shift. His training would cost more than $10 000, the police department estimates, as the dog would be trained in tracking, apprehension and other tasks. Blade is trained to do only one thing.
The department has set up Facebook and GoFundMe accounts to help fund the K-9 project. The department has about $12 000 left from its previous funding in 2012. The stuffed police dog toys will be will be available to purchase at the Police Department building, 123 Park Ave., for $15. There will be several different toys on offer. One of them is a miniature version of Blade. All are wearing the Beaver Dam K-9 police uniform.
