Though funds are in place for New Canaan police to acquire a new K-9 dog—a drug prevention and enforcement tool, among other uses, that the police chief calls “critical”—the department at this point lacks adequate staffing levels for it, officials say.
With two police officers on medical leave now and a third scheduled for military leave this fall, the New Canaan Police Department won’t have its own dog until next spring at the earliest, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said.
“It’s critical [to have a K-9 unit],” he told NewCanaanite.com. “No doubt it’s critical. I have a fiduciary duty to the town that was are fiscally making the right decision, so although it is a critical need, we do it when the staffing levels are optimal.”
Each of New Canaan’s neighbors—police departments in Wilton, Darien, Norwalk and Stamford—has its own K-9 unit, and local police have been able to use those dogs recently as needed, though it’s no guarantee.
The animals are used in drug work, in searching for people who are missing, burglary investigations or in tracking down suspects. Four summers ago, police sent its K-9 unit into a Ponus Ridge home where a man believed at the time to be dangerous had barricaded himself. Another major boon of having a K-9 unit is in public relations for the department, Krolikowski said, as demonstrations with the dog are popular in community groups and schools.
Since “virtually all drugs that come into New Canaan”—and that, increasingly, includes heroin—are entering by motor vehicle, the K-9 dog is central to the department’s work.
“We often make arrests through motor vehicle stops, and the K-9 is used appropriately in investigations and has the authority to search a vehicle and subsequently uncover drugs,” he said. “One of the primary goals of the police is to stop people from selling drugs in New Canaan, particularly heroin, crack and cocaine.”
Typically shepherd dogs from Europe, K-9’s cost about $12,000 to $15,000, the chief said, and monies contributed to the fund—all fundraising for the K-9 unit is private, Krolikowski said—go toward maintenance and training. The chief described the fund as “healthy” now. The department’s last K-9 dog died in a tragic accident last spring.