Lynchburg Police Department in need of funds for K-9 unit
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
Lynchburg Police Department
in need of funds for K-9 unit
LYNCHBURG – To combat the growing problem with heroin-related crimes, the Lynchburg Police Department has begun the development of a K-9 unit, funded through donations from area residents who want to be proactive in combating the village's drug problem.
LPD Chief Brandon Wooten said the department has been working with Dave Johnson, of the Brown County Sheriff's Department, who does K-9 training for departments in the area.
"He has a canine available, and we looked at the dog," Wooten said. "He's actually giving us a pretty good deal on the dog, and what we're looking at now is talking to people to get support and donations."
The dog and the training will cost approximately $7,500 Wooten said, and the department does not want any tax dollars to go toward developing the program. With tight budgets and limited personnel, Wooten said the LDP is looking into alternative funding in order to get the program off the ground. LPD Sgt. Dustin Malone will be the dog handler and will house the dog at his home.
In addition to the donations, the program will be supported through the drug and alcohol fund at the department, which gets its dollars from drug and alcohol-realted arrests and fines, according to Wooten.
Wooten said that he would like to have enough funds to move forward with the program by February, and he feels the K-9 unit is necessary in order gain control over the drug activity in the village.
Wooten said that it has been, "Difficult. Big time," to handle the growing drug issues with the current police budget.
In a Jan. 1 story in The Highland County Press, Hillsboro Municipal Court Judge David H. McKenna said in the 25 years that he has been involved in the criminal justice system, he has not seen anything like the recent epidemic of heroin activity.
“It’s a whole different playing field, it seems like,” McKenna told The HCP.
“Heroin is crossing all socioeconomic lines, levels of education, it doesn’t seem to make any difference. I have seen college-educated people, children from prominent families in the community – it’s all a matter of public record. This has become so widespread.”
McKenna said that over the past year he has been trying to increase public awareness of the growing issue, because through his courtroom observations, he does not see a sector of the public that has gone untouched.
“It’s becoming an epidemic in our community, and I’m getting frustrated because I’m really surprised when I talk to people, it’s like they have never heard that there is a heroin problem,” McKenna said. “Unless they’re under 25 and then it’s like, ‘Of course, everyone knows it’s there.’”
"We also have to find a way to combat a growing drug problem with a shrinking budget," Wooten said.
In addition to the chief and Malone, there are no other paid officers in the police department, only three auxiliary officers.
"It's hard, when you know there are households or residences in certain areas. It's hard to be able to pay somebody to take the time to closely watch and combat it. (Besides Wooten) with one other paid officer, we have to figure out ways, within our budget and means, and to also handle all the other calls that are coming in."
For more information on the program, or to offer donations, contact the Lynburg Police Department at (937) 364-6659, or visit their website at www.lynchburgpd.com.
"The only way we're going to get this thing going is through donations from the community," Wooten said.
LYNCHBURG – To combat the growing problem with heroin-related crimes, the Lynchburg Police Department has begun the development of a K-9 unit, funded through donations from area residents who want to be proactive in combating the village's drug problem.
LPD Chief Brandon Wooten said the department has been working with Dave Johnson, of the Brown County Sheriff's Department, who does K-9 training for departments in the area.
"He has a canine available, and we looked at the dog," Wooten said. "He's actually giving us a pretty good deal on the dog, and what we're looking at now is talking to people to get support and donations."
The dog and the training will cost approximately $7,500 Wooten said, and the department does not want any tax dollars to go toward developing the program. With tight budgets and limited personnel, Wooten said the LDP is looking into alternative funding in order to get the program off the ground. LPD Sgt. Dustin Malone will be the dog handler and will house the dog at his home.
In addition to the donations, the program will be supported through the drug and alcohol fund at the department, which gets its dollars from drug and alcohol-realted arrests and fines, according to Wooten.
Wooten said that he would like to have enough funds to move forward with the program by February, and he feels the K-9 unit is necessary in order gain control over the drug activity in the village.
Wooten said that it has been, "Difficult. Big time," to handle the growing drug issues with the current police budget.
In a Jan. 1 story in The Highland County Press, Hillsboro Municipal Court Judge David H. McKenna said in the 25 years that he has been involved in the criminal justice system, he has not seen anything like the recent epidemic of heroin activity.
“It’s a whole different playing field, it seems like,” McKenna told The HCP.
“Heroin is crossing all socioeconomic lines, levels of education, it doesn’t seem to make any difference. I have seen college-educated people, children from prominent families in the community – it’s all a matter of public record. This has become so widespread.”
McKenna said that over the past year he has been trying to increase public awareness of the growing issue, because through his courtroom observations, he does not see a sector of the public that has gone untouched.
“It’s becoming an epidemic in our community, and I’m getting frustrated because I’m really surprised when I talk to people, it’s like they have never heard that there is a heroin problem,” McKenna said. “Unless they’re under 25 and then it’s like, ‘Of course, everyone knows it’s there.’”
"We also have to find a way to combat a growing drug problem with a shrinking budget," Wooten said.
In addition to the chief and Malone, there are no other paid officers in the police department, only three auxiliary officers.
"It's hard, when you know there are households or residences in certain areas. It's hard to be able to pay somebody to take the time to closely watch and combat it. (Besides Wooten) with one other paid officer, we have to figure out ways, within our budget and means, and to also handle all the other calls that are coming in."
For more information on the program, or to offer donations, contact the Lynburg Police Department at (937) 364-6659, or visit their website at www.lynchburgpd.com.
"The only way we're going to get this thing going is through donations from the community," Wooten said.
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