Canine joins Lordstown police force
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LORDSTOWN -- When a new member of the police department is sworn in by Mayor Arno Hill, many people usually are in attendance, but when the newest member happens to have four legs and a tail, more than 45 people attended Monday's council meeting.
Jochie, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois from the Netherlands, was sworn in with his handler, officer Brett Blank, as the newest member of department. Police Chief Brent Milhoan said Jochie received six weeks and 300 hours of training with Blank at Shallow Creek Kennels Inc. and will be used for searches and tracking, apprehensions and narcotics detection.
"This is the first time the police department has a K-9 unit. He is a dual purpose dog," Milhoan said.
The dogs and the training cost $15,000.
He said the department has been relying on other departments that have police dogs for their assistance.
"Sometimes the dogs would not be available when we needed one. We have been missing out on some drug arrests because we don't have consent or probable cause to check a vehicle from the owner," Milhoan said.
He said the dog could help locate a missing child or an elderly person who may have wandered from their home.
Milhoan said in the fall of 2021, fundraising started to get a police dog with more than $38,000 raised, including donations from businesses and community members,
Councilman Lamar Liming said the police dog will benefit the village.
"The dog will be an asset to the police and the community. It is good to get the K-9 unit up and running. We put in a lot of time to get this for our community," he said.
Hill said the swearing in of the first police dog for Lordstown was a major event for the community.
Blank said he is ready to go to work with Jochie. Village officials said the dog has received much support from the public and donations from people in other states.
The department plans to use the extra money to sustain the program by paying for expenses like dog food and vet bills.