The Durango Police Department will add a four-legged officer to its force this summer.
Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop said the canine is expected to hit the streets by mid-June.
“It will be working more of an evening-to-night shift,” he said.
Dunlop said the department is working with Rocky Mountain Canine Academy in Denver to purchase and train a dog.
“They have two dogs immediately available for sale, and we’ve focused on one of the dogs,” he said.
“One was more responsive to training, self-confident and followed through quicker on commands.”
That dog is Betty, a Belgian Malinois. Her handler will be officer Justin Moore. They will begin in early April to train together for two months in Denver.
“The dog will live at (Moore’s) house,” Dunlop said. “Justin will get his certifications during the training and the dog will, too.”
DPD’s K-9 unit has been dormant for more than two years, and restarting it is important to the department, Dunlop said. But bringing a canine on board the force is expensive. The police department was able to get Betty only after it received an anonymous donation last year.
“The dog itself is around $8,000 and the eight weeks of training runs about $4,000,” Dunlop said. “A dog is a good resource for the police department, and the donation helped move us forward.”
Previously, when the department needed a canine, it used one provided by La Plata County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit.
“I was there back when The Greenery was robbed at gunpoint, and the Sheriff’s Office was instrumental in helping with their dog on scene, and a key component in apprehending the suspect,” Dunlop said, referring to the robbery of a marijuana shop in April 2017.
He said if Moore does not mesh well with Betty during their training, the department could purchase a second dog, Jerry, a German shepherd.
Betty will be trained primarily in drug detection and patrol. For decades, police dogs have been trained to sniff out contraband cannabis, but Betty will be taught to ignore the smell of marijuana.
“It will only sniff out drugs illegal in Colorado,” Dunlop said. “The patrol work will also include bite maneuvers.”
He said the department is interested in adding a second canine to its force when the resources are available.
“Seeing two dogs working inside the city means we would have coverage throughout the entire week,” Dunlop said.
mrupani@durangoherald.com
