The New Canaan Police Department gets a new breed of officer by the end of the year. A German Shepherd, to be specific. The Board of Selectmen approved adding a K-9 unit to the NCPD Tuesday morning. The department adds their newest member next week, but will not assign him to active duty until the fall.
The key selling point for the Board of Selectmen was the fact that the program will not cost the town anything. Citizens donated more than $76,000, which, combined with a $30,000 grant the department received from the state, should be able to fund the program for five years. Capt. Leon Krolikowski said the Police Department still accepts donations "as they trickle in," but will need to hold another fundraising drive in two to three years to continue the program.
Krolikowski said the dog will serve "all purpose patrol duty," including missing persons searches, apprehending criminals and narcotics detection. Krolikowski said the department currently relies on help from other towns like Darien and Norwalk in those cases, often waiting hours for them to respond. "Every year we call for a dog at least a dozen times," he said.
This is not the first K-9 unit in the town's history. "Ex" served the town from 1985 to 1994, but "he had to retire," Krolikowsi said. "He just got a little too old for duty." The town finally gets a replacement in November, after the dog and its handling officers finish the eight-week training course beginning in September.
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