Police to Conduct K-9 Unit Feasiblity Study

At the Police Commission’s monthly meeting on Wednesday night the department got one step closer to bringing a canine to the force.

It has been about 15 years since the New Canaan Police Department had a K-9 unit, and the commission approved continuation of a study into the feasibility of adding one. The department has received a grant that would cover the cost of the dog and initial training and equipment. Individuals in town have also expressed interest in offering financial support to the acquisition of a police dog.

“(A K-9) would cost the town little if nothing to sustain if approved,” Capt. Leon Krolikowki, Captain of Operations and Staff Services, said at Wednesday’s meeting, “In my opinion it would be off budget.”

A burglary last week forced officers to call for the assistance of a state police K-9, Capt. Krolikowski said. It took approximately 20 minutes for the dog to arrive, time that could have been saved if New Canaan had its own police dog.

Over the past two years there have been 828 larcenies and instances of suspicious persons or prowlers in which a K-9 could have assisted officers, according to a flyer provided by Capt. Krolikowski at the meeting.

Capt. Krolikowski also suggested that a police dog would strengthen relations between the police department and the community and would be present at local events like the Halloween parade and the Family Fourth at Waveny Park.

“It would be a great public relations tool,” he said.

If the department decides to go ahead with the program, the dog would likely be provided by a New Milford police officer who has been handling police dogs for several years and recently supplied the Darien Police Department with a K-9 of their own. Police dogs are imported from the Czech Republic and designated specifically to communities with which each dog’s temperament is compatible.

The earliest a dog would join the force would be spring of 2010 but would more likely be in place in the fall of that year.