Post Falls Force Going To The Dogs

The Post Falls Police Department wants to add a member to the force - but this one would have four legs and a tail.

The department has asked the City Council to approve hiring - or rather buying - its first police dog.

“This city is growing so fast we feel it’s just extremely important to start looking at getting a dog,” said Sgt. Scott Haug, who would head up a K-9 program. “It would be a benefit to the community and officer safety.”

The police department is asking for $11,250 to start the program.

The dog, a German shepherd, would cost $5,000 and would most likely hail from Germany, Haug said. Among the other costs is $700 for a kennel and $500 to make a patrol car dog-ready.

The dog would be used to track and pursue fleeing criminals, Haug said. The dog would also search buildings where a suspect may be hiding. Such situations are dangerous to officers who don’t know whether or not a suspect is armed.

The dogs also tend to calm volatile situations, such as fights, said Sgt. Brad Maskell, who runs the Kootenai County sheriff’s dog program.

“The very psychological presence of a canine at the scene … oftentimes it will bring a suspect under control because there is an innate fear of police dogs,” he said.

“It’s amazing the respect the dog gets,” Haug said. “People look at that dog and think, ‘I don’t want any part of this.”’

The sheriff’s department currently has the only two full-fledged police dogs in the county. The Idaho State Police uses a Labrador for drug detection.

Sheriff’s deputies use their dogs on a daily basis to help other agencies. The Post Falls Police Department enlists their aid at least once a week, Maskell said. The county does not charge a fee.

Haug said there have been times Post Falls officers have needed a dog but none was available. Having their own dog would cut down on the time it takes for a dog to get to a Post Falls crime scene, he said.

But having a patrol dog does involve some risk, Haug admitted.

A Spokane Police dog was accused of mauling an innocent bystander in May. Haug, however, insists proper training and handling will prevent those problems.

Haug estimates it would cost the city $2,000 each year to continue the program.

If the City Council does not approve funding, Haug hopes it will at least approve the position. The department will then turn to the community for support, Haug said.

, DataTimes