Police say K-9 program effective but strained after recent resignations

Police leadership told the council the departments K-9 program remains valuable for narcotics detection and investigative support but is strained after recent resignations. The department currently has one certified narcotics detection canine, Quincy, and hopes to replace the second position when staffing allows. The chief and the canine commander said they would like to expand the program further when capacity permits.

Captain Chris Reese, the departments canine commander, said K-9 teams have been deployed about 110 times this year, contributing to narcotics seizures, stolen property recoveries, arrests and the seizure of firearms and currency. He described certification and upkeep: canines require about 192 annual hours of training and annual recertification to maintain proficiency. Reese also gave cost figures for acquiring dogs: "For a fully trained canine, you're looking at an excess of $1,010,000 dollars easily" and for a less-trained 'green' dog "between 55 to $6,500" in the transcript — those cost numbers appear garbled in transcription and should be verified. Staff noted an in-house certified trainer should reduce future training costs.

Councilors asked about retirement criteria (staff said health and quality of life govern retirement, with typical detection-dog service lives cited at about six to eight years), and asked whether police must have probable cause before deploying a canine for a vehicle sniff; Captain Reese said officers need a nexus to drug activity and that a canine alert provides probable cause for a search.