BRAZIL, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Earlier this year, Brazil Police Department’s canine and it’s handler moved on to another department and since then the department has been taking steps to revamp the division.
Patrolman Chandler Damon is in charge of the project. Damon said he has always had a love for dogs, from owning his own German Shepard to being a part of Clay County’s 4-H dog obedience and showmanship classes.
Damon said it was a no brainer for him to step up and spearhead the project.
“We have very good young group of guys, who are all motivated to be here. They want to be here. I could probably speak for most of them and say they want to retire here,” Damon explained. “So, me thinking in the long run, we’re going to have to start stepping up and taking the initiative to make these programs. Not only to start them but also make them long lasting and successful. When I looked at that, I said why can’t it be me that be the person who at least jumpstarts it for us?”
Police say adding a new K-9 would cost the department at least $20,000. Included among the cost is sending the dog and it’s handler to training and outfitting police vehicles with a kennel.
However, the department doesn’t have a budget for a K-9 unit; now, Damon is enlisting help from the community.
“We started up a ‘Brazil Police Department K-9 Unit’ Facebook page to try and get people involved,” Damon said. “It’s for questions or concerns or anything that they may have. We created that outlet to allow people to get on there easily from their cellphones and ask us questions. Along with that we made it easy for people to donate that way by setting up a donate PayPal account as well as an Amazon Wishlist.”
With the support of the community, Mayor Brian Wyndham and Chief Clint McQueen, Chandler said he is confident Brazil will greatly benefit over the years.
“A K-9 unit and a handler brings a lot of incentives to not only the department but also the community,” he said. “Whether that means helping us detect narcotics in community which helps prevent the distribution of methamphetamine, marijuana or any kind of drugs that may come through. It’s really nice to see the love that you community has for things like this especially being a local small department. It really means a lot to us.”
Damon said depending upon the funding they receive, the department hopes to have a K-9 trained and ready to serve by the fall of this year.
