OTTAWA — The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office will soon have two new tools in its war on crime and drugs, and both of those tools will come complete with furry coats and wagging tails.
Speaking to the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Sheriff Tim Meyer spoke about the department’s new K-9 unit, which Meyer said is a response to a keenly felt need in the county.
“We’ve got a lot of enthusiasm in the department about this,” he said. “When I first came in, we realized the need, but we had a town hall meeting right after, and we had such a huge response at that that it spurred us on at a higher pace.”
One of the main sources of that need is the alarming rise in drug abuse in the county, with the department encountering more overdoses every year. In 2013, there were no overdoses reported in the county, with four in 2014, five in 2015 and three already this year.
“We probably should have seven this year, and if we didn’t have Narcan available, we would,” Meyer said. “So the handwriting’s on the wall.”
Having police dogs on hand will aid in providing more inroads to probable searches on traffic stops, along with searching for drugs during raids and seizures.
“The drugs give us the perfect inroad to probable cause, so we can get drugs off the highway,” Meyer said.
The department will bring in two dogs at the end of this month, with the dogs and handlers expected to be able to complete training by mid-July. Each of these dogs comes at a high price, estimated to be more than $15,000 for the dog, equipment and training, along with an additional $3,000 in yearly maintenance costs. The department was able to cover the costs for these two dogs thanks to donations from both private and corporate benefactors in the county.
“We’ve been amazed at how the public has responded,” Meyer said. “We’ve had everything from moms and pops coming in to drop off a check to business, the Kiwanis, the Legion, the Jaycees and corporate sponsors.”
Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish was also at the meeting along with his dog, Alk, who demonstrated the tracking and protective abilities of police dogs. He emphasized that despite appearances, police dogs are not mean by nature.
“They’re not mean dogs, but they are a tool,” he said. “They are trained to protect their handlers, officers and the public.”
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