CHAMPION — Township trustees have approved an agreement with the local Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association to have officer Michael Lowery serve as a handler for the department’s new police dog, Storm.

Trustees Rex Fee and Doug Emerine approved the agreement at a special meeting Tuesday, while Trustee Bill Templeton abstained, saying he first wanted to see where the money is coming from for the dog and related expenses.

Storm will be the department’s first police dog, and she will be used for tracking people and items such as guns and other weapons, as well as narcotics detection.

Fee said the police department’s women’s auxiliary has approved $9,000 for the dog and training, the Champion Rotary donated $500 for the dog’s food, and Countryside Veterinary Service is donating its services for the dog’s veterinary care.

Officials said Lowery, who has been with the department since 2017 and has spent nine years in law enforcement, will receive his regular salary, and will receive $38.11 per hour for any overtime.

Officials said a police officer who is a handler is required by the Federal Labors Standard Act to receive 3.5 hours of overtime per pay to compensate for the time the dog is at home being fed and taken care of.

Fee said many local organizations and individuals have made donations or want to make donations for Storm. Lettering for the police vehicle and a cage for the cruiser were paid for with donations.

Police Chief Larry Skaggs said Lowery and Storm soon will attend training at Alpha Pack K9 Training in Uniontown.

“The dog will be a great addition to the community and will be trained in narcotics and tracking,” Fee said.

Skaggs said residents in the community had contacted police and township officials about the possibility of Champion having a police dog.

Skaggs said he spoke with Lordstown police Chief Brent Milhoan about what they did to get their police dog last year.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Champion,” Skaggs said.

He spoke to Champion School Superintendent John Grabowski and Trumbull Career and Technical Center Superintendent Jason Gray that the dog can be brought to the schools to check for narcotics.

Skaggs said while Champion is a small community of 10,000 people, there are many visitors who drive through or come to work in Champion for TCTC, Kent State at Trumbull, Fairhaven Workshop and other local businesses.

Skaggs said Lowery is the department’s criminal investigator, which benefits Champion since Storm is trained for both patroling and police investigations with the dog being able to respond to such calls.

After Lowery and Storm complete the training, Lowery will be certified by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. Skaggs said Storm, a 1-year-old female Belgian Malinois, will be sworn in this spring.

Skaggs said most police dogs can work for six to seven years, and the dog will be available to other departments if needed.

As part of the agreement, when Storm is retired, she can be purchased by Lowery for $1 from the township.