RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Those adorable dogs in police vests have a very big purpose when they’re serving a police department.
They can assist in de-escalation, finding missing people, solving crimes, bomb detection and several other jobs.
A K9 officer’s role is so important that the Richmond Heights Police Department is trying to get one for themselves.
“I love animals. Just having a working dog with me all day, that's awesome and it'll be a great partner to have,” officer Jonathan Ross said.
Since he’s put on the uniform, officer Ross has wanted a K9 partner, but it’s for more than just company while on patrol.
“The drug epidemic that's going on now, I've been personally affected by friends that I've lost to this,” officer Ross said. “This is kind of a personal thing for me as well, so it'll be nice to help as much as I can.”
In order to reach more people, the department is asking the public for help.
“This is a large expense,” officer Ross said. “You're talking $60,000 plus to get a K9 unit started. The vehicle, the dog, the training.”
Earlier this summer, the department posted their fundraiser for a K9 unit:
According to the men on the front lines, Sgt. Rick Olexa said it’s not just a community relations tool, it’s another layer to safety.
“We just had an armed robbery six months ago and we had to call South Euclid police with their dog. We would have never caught the guy if it weren't for that dog. He actually tracked it a mile and a half to a house and that's where we found him hiding in a garage.”
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Sgt. Olexa had the opportunity to work with the last K9 officer, Kubo.
He passed away in 2013.
“We lost an amazing partner that day, unfortunately, we just had to go back to doing things without the dog.”
The hope now is to get that addition back on the force with the help of the people who would benefit from it.
“It’s giving them a sense that they're buying into this with us, and I think that's building a rapport between us and the citizens in the community because now we're coming together for something that we all want,” Sgt. Olexa said.
The dog would come from Shallow Creek in Pennsylvania and will have six weeks of training there before getting certified to come work for the department.
If you want to pitch in, donations can be made with checks payable to the City of Richmond Heights. In the memo line, write "Police Canine Fund." Checks can be mailed or delivered to:
The City of Richmond Heights
26789 Highland Road
Richmond Heights, OH 44143