Granite Shoals Police Chief John Ortis announced the beginning of the city's first K-9 officer program alongside soon-to-be K-9 handler Detective Andrew Kos during a City Council meeting on May 23. Pictures on the screen is Zoe, the incoming K-9. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey.
The Granite Shoals Police Department received a $25,000 donation to kickstart its K-9 officer program during the City Council's regular meeting on Tuesday, May 23. The department can now purchase and care for a pre-trained dog and its human partner for narcotics enforcement and search-and-rescue operations.
The donation came from Dr. César DePaço and wife Deanna Padovani-DePaço of New Jersey, who are known for making philanthropic contributions to law enforcement, especially in support of K-9 programs. Granite Shoals Mayor Kiel Arnone, who is originally from New Jersey, reached out to contacts in the Garden State to facilitate the funding.
I think it's a great, positive thing for our community.
Mayor Kiel Arnone
Detective Andrew Kos will be the human half of the new unit. Kos pitched the idea of a K-9 program to Chief John Ortis about a month before Tuesday night's meeting, but prior funding concerns made it difficult to move forward.
When Arnone heard about the financial hangup, he reached out to DePaço. After a few days of back-and-forth between Arnone, DePaço, Ortis, and Kos, a donation was secured.
The department has already chosen Zoe, a Belgian Malinois, who is currently undergoing training at the Pacesetter K9 in Liberty Hill. According to Ortis, she will cost $14,000. The substantial sum is due to the immense amount of training she will undergo prior to joining the department. Zoe will be specifically trained to sniff out narcotics and perform tracking in search-and-rescue operations.
Ortis told DailyTrib.com that a city the size of Granite Shoals typically does not have the means to support a K-9 unit, and he hit that same point home during Tuesday's council meeting.
The city of Granite Shoals did not have the budget to outfit us with a K-9 dog for patrol operations.
Kiel Arnone
The cost doesn't stop at the dog's purchase. The $25,000 donation will also cover Kos' training as a K-9 handler, outfitting his vehicle for K-9 work and paying for dog food and veterinary care.
Granite Shoals Police Department Andrew Kos poses for a photo with the emotional support dogs Montana and Tundra. Kos was shot on duty in February, and his personal dogs became his support animals during recovery. He told DailyTrib.com that it has been his longtime dream to become a K-9 handler.
Kos will soon undergo extensive training to work alongside Zoe in the field. He is a recent addition to GSPD, coming from the Horseshoe Bay Police Department, and spent 30 years as an officer and detective for the Austin Police Department. Kos was shot on duty in February while working for the Horseshoe Bay department. His two dogs, Tundra and Montana, became emotional support animals after the shooting and are now part of the GSPD family.
I'm super excited. This is, like, a lifelong dream to be a K-9 handler.
Andrew Kos
Kos and Zoe will begin their tandem training on July 17 and should be on duty by Aug. 6.
Author: Dakota Morrisiey
Source: www.dailytrib.com