Sharonville Council Accepts Haberkamp Foundation Funds to Support Police K-9 Program

The Sharonville City Council on Thursday approved an emergency resolution to accept funding from the Haberkamp Foundation to support the city’s purchase and training of a police K-9 team.

Mayor Hartman and Safety Service Director Lucas told the council the grant was a last-minute opportunity that would allow the department to keep the handler and training local instead of sending the handler out of town. Safety Service Director Lucas said the foundation’s fundraising supports agencies that cannot otherwise afford canine teams and noted the program has grown "extensively" and recently donated about its thousandth dog.

Officer Drew Risk was identified by the department as the intended K-9 handler. Officials said once the dog is selected—in Pennsylvania under the foundation’s program—training will begin and take approximately 12 weeks.

A speaker identified as offering a legal perspective noted a change in state law and said, "this canine will not be trained to alert on the smell of marijuana." A department representative answered, "That's correct." The council recorded a roll-call vote and approved Emergency Resolution 2025R12E; all members present voted in favor.

The resolution was passed as an emergency to allow Sharonville to accept the funding and begin the process of selecting and training the canine team. The council did not provide a timetable for the dog’s arrival beyond the 12-week training estimate.

The council will implement the new K-9 team subject to completion of procurement, training, and any required documentation tied to the grant agreement.