DECATUR — For well over 100 years, canines have been used for a wide variety of functions including search and rescue, drug intervention and explosives detection by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies around the world. Soon a new K9 officer will be added to the Decatur Police Department.
During the July 10 session of the Decatur City Council, Chief Joe Savage, with the Decatur Police Department, introduced Sergeant Ty Eggebrecht and his K9 trainee Koda, a four-year-old German Shepherd. Savage asked the council to approve the K9 officer's addition to the department as a narcotics and tracking dog.
The council was given a demonstration on the search procedures Eggebrecht and Koda use to detect illegal drugs in a room of a residence or building.
Before the meeting, Eggebrecht hid containers filled with a small amount of four controlled substances for Koda to find.
Once Eggebrecht gave the command to search for the hidden substances, Koda began his search and took only 10 seconds to hit on each hiding place. After finding the narcotics, Koda sat down to alert Eggebrecht that he found illegal substances. Once he completed his task, the dog was rewarded with his favorite toy, which in Koda's case was a rubber bone.
Shortly after the demonstration, the city council voted unanimously to accept K9 officer Koda as the newest member of the Decatur Police Department.
Before Koda enters service with the department, he must finish his Arkansas certification training which is expected to be done by July 17.
"This dog has to be certified in the State of Arkansas before we can actually start to use him," said Savage. "We have been running him in the car with Sergeant Eggebrecht because we wanted him to get accustomed to everyday routines."
While riding with Sergeant Eggebrecht on patrol, Koda stays in the air-conditioned patrol car. His role at the time is to get used to sitting in the seat behind his new partner. While in the car, Eggebrecht uses K9 protocols to ensure that Koda remains safe and healthy. These protocols include regular breaks for water, food and "other" needs.
Eventually, Koda will have additional duties with the Decatur Police.
"Right now, if certified, the dog will be used in narcotics and tracking," said Savage. " He doesn't have to have a certification as a tracking dog in Arkansas so we can use him as a tracker if the need arises."
The cost to the city of Decatur to have Koda certified and ready for service is $600, which the city is expected to recover from fines and forfeitures from drug arrests.
"I think this dog will be a great asset to our department and, when I had a K9, he paid for himself his first arrest," Savage said. "What we have to pay on this dog will be far outweighed by the amount of narcotics he will take off of the streets."
The addition of K9 officer Koda to the Decatur Police Department will help maintain a safer environment for citizens of Decatur and the surrounding area. The duo will be able to visit area schools to enhance their drug education and prevention programs, sending a clear message that Decatur is not the place for anyone who willingly breaks the law.
"The more narcotics that are taken off of the streets, the better the neighborhood gets, the better the property values get," Savage said. "It is a win-win scenario for all law abiding residents of Decatur."
General News on 07/19/2017