Police Look to Have K-9 on Street in September

The Fairfield Police Department plans to have a K-9 working for the department around Labor Day, according to Police Chief Gary MacNamara.

"We are anticipating a dog on the road, fully trained with the officer, in the beginning of September," MacNamara said during a press conference Tuesday in which People's United Bank contributed $7,600 toward the department's new K-9 program. The dog, to be a German shepherd, will be acquired by the department in June and then undergo training with Officer Kevin Wells, who was previously chosen to the the K-9 handler.

MacNamara said the K-9 will be trained to track missing or lost children and adults, burglary suspects and to detect narcotics.

"Some of our high priorities right now are daytime burglaries," said Police Sgt. Sue Lussier, a department spokesman.

On Tuesday, People's United Bank presented the Police Department with a check for $7,600, which represented a $6,800 donation from the bank's corporate offices and $800 that had been raised through a contest in which bank customers guessed the length of the dog from the tip of its nose to its tail. There was no charge to enter the contest, which is now closed, but people who guessed could make a donation toward the K-9 program.

MacNamara said the dog hasn't been selected yet so the winner of the contest, and of a $500 U.S. Savings Bond, is not yet known.

The cost to implement the K-9 program was estimated in December at $15,758, which included $12,000 for the dog, $2,553 to outfit a patrol car for the dog, $430 for an annual supply of food, $185 in veterinary care, $210 in membership fees and $380 in miscellaneous equipment. Annual recurring costs were projected at $1,030, which included $430 for food, $185 for veterinary care, $35 in membership and recertification fees and $380 in miscellaneous equipment. Compensation for the K-9 handler was projected at $12 a day, or $4,380 a year.

MacNamara said he didn't know how much money had been raised for the K-9 program, which is being funded through donations, but it was enough to begin implementing the program.

MacNamara praised People's United Bank for its support of the K-9 program, saying the Police Department and bank have a long history in helping each other, including a Triad program for senior citizens that is designed, in part, to prevent seniors from becoming victims of scams. "People's [United] Bank has always been a partner, and a great partner, with the Fairfield Police Department," MacNamara said. "We are here today to reaffirm our relationship and their commitment to the K-9 program."

"We cannot fulfill our mission of making Fairfield safer without the support and partnership of residents and corporations," MacNamara added. "People's [United] Bank is always one of those corporations we can go to and they go to us...to provide a better service to the town."

Fairfield Police must now rely on K-9s from other departments if they need help in tracking a burglary or larceny suspect or in searching a motor vehicle for narcotics. The shift that Wells and the K-9 will work isn't yet established, but the K-9 and Wells would be available if officers need a K-9 when Wells and the dog aren't working. Also, Fairfield officers can still call on K-9s from other jurisdictions and would be able to provide mutual aid to another town or city if a K-9 is needed and Wells and the dog are working in Fairfield but are not on a call, MacNamara said.

"We believe that having a K-9 program and having a K-9 resource in the Police Department certainly goes to furthering our mission," MacNamara said.

Fairfield Police are no longer holding fundraisers for the K-9 program, but people interested in making a donation toward it can still go to one of People's United Bank's six branches in town or can drop off a donation at the 100 Reef Road Police Department. "Now we're focusing our attention on getting the program up and running," MacNamara said.