Huntingburg Police Department raising money for new K9 unit

The Huntingburg Police Department wants to add an officer of the four-legged variety to its roster.

According to Asst. Chief Ronnie Bowman, the department would like to purchase and train a dog to partner with Officer Josh Hemmer as the department’s first K9 team since 2007.

According to Bowman, the department has had two dogs in the past. One came with an officer when he was hired. That officer then left the department for another position and the dog went with him.

The second dog was sold after the officer trained to work with the dog resigned from the force. According to Bowman, due to the large commitment involved in working with the dogs, other officers on the police department did not step forward to assume those responsibilities. That dog was then sold to an Ohio police department.

Since 2012, the department has hired several new officers including Hemmer. “We have a motivated department and several officers have shown a desire to be a K9 officer,” Bowman said.

Bowman explained that the dog would likely be trained as a drug detection dog but could also be cross-trained as a tracking dog.

“We would use the dog primarily for drug interdiction with traffic stops and consent searches of homes,” Bowman explained.

It would also make rounds at the schools. “Schools request that several times a year,” Bowman said.

Over the weekend, Huntingburg police called for assistance from the Jasper Police Department’s K9 unit — Officer Adam Bower and his partner, Ares — to search a home suspected of having narcotics present.

Normally, the department relies on the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department’s two dogs but due to the time constraints of certain situations, the department can’t always depend on those officers and dogs being available.

“We are at the mercy of the other departments and they can’t alway get down here,” Bowman said. “We could have a lot more success if we had our own dog.”

To pay for the training and purchase of the new dog, the department is attempting to raise $12,000. In the past, generous individuals and businesses have stepped forward to assist with providing kennels and food for the other departments’ dogs. Huntingburg Police Department is hopeful the community’s generosity will continue for them as the 2015 budget does not include funding for the new officer.

Depending on how fast the funds come in, Hemmer could go to a class as soon as September. Otherwise, classes are available in November or early next year.

A GoFundMe site has been established for individuals to make donations. The site charges about 8% for the service it provides so if anyone donating would like to ensure 100% of their donation supports the department’s efforts, donations in the form of checks can be dropped off at Huntingburg City Hall, 508 E. 4th St., or at the temporary location of the Huntingburg Police Department, 214 W. 17th St.

The city can be contacted at 812-683-2211 and the police department can be reached at 812-683-3003.

I have received several messages and e-mails this evening regarding prior K9’s with HPD. At one time HPD did have two working K9 units, essentially giving access to a dog every night. One of the K9 officers left HPD for another agency and took his personal K9 with him. That dog was acquired by that officer prior to being hired by HPD. The other dog that was left remained working the road for several months until the K9 officer resigned the position due to personal reasons. The dog was then sold to an agency in Ohio which allowed the City to recover a good portion of the costs with that dog.