Creston PD plans for new K-9

Creston Police officers will have the chance to work alongside another furry unit soon. After fundraising and receiving donations, the officers will purchase a K-9 capable of sniffing drug odors.

The previous K-9, Minko, was handled by Creston Police Officer Jayrd Merritt and retired at the end of December because of age. Minko turned 8 in January, and Merritt said the officers wanted to give Minko a chance to be a dog.

If Creston is to get a K-9 unit, it won’t be immediately.

The cost for a new animal is near $7,500 for single purpose, and $12,500 for dual purpose. A single-purpose animal is specialized in narcotic detection, while a dual-purpose animal is specialized in narcotic detection, handler protection and tracking, which was Minko’s title. According to Merritt, the decision will depend on how much money the department can bring in, but he believes it is leaning toward a single-purpose K-9 with tracking abilities as well.

“We’re kind of back and forth on that one. 85 percent of the time, it’s going to be narcotics detection,” Merritt said. “It’s also a deterrent, too. The largest majority of the time, narcotics is what we’re going to be doing with the dog.”

Creston Police Officer Shannon Arends has requested to be the handler for the new animal. Arends has experience handling K-9s, as he handled several while a Ringgold County Sheriff’s deputy.

Several times Merritt said he used Minko for handler protection, and more than a few times Minko was used to track missing juveniles and adults.

“I think, actually, basically in every town it’s an advantage. The easiest way to put it is it’s an extra tool to put in your tool box,” Merritt said. “There’s so many ways that a dog can help you that you can’t really make a list.”

K-9 units, like Minko, are usually trained to detect nine separate odors in the marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and PCP families. These types of illicit drugs are the most common found in the Union County area.

Training for these K-9 units comes from the vendors. One vendor the department is looking into is I80 K-9 Training Services in Atlantic, but there are others to be considered, also.

“When we got our dog, and I’m going to speak for when we got Minko,” Merritt said, “I went for three weeks of training to handle the dog. He knows what he’s supposed to do, but they were teaching me to do what he knows already.”

The K-9 is already trained to track and detect, and the training and annual certification training usually recommended allows the handler to train with that specific animal, which may be trained using foreign language commands and specific hand signals.

While the details on the purchase are still being hashed out, the department is attempting to raise the funds with several possible events in the future.

One event Creston Police Department has planned is a fundraiser golf tournament slated for 10 a.m. June 10 at Crestmoor Golf Club, 1801 W. Townline St.

The tournament still has four spots open for four-person teams, which cost $160 per team. Lunch is being provided by Creston Automotive, and businesses or individuals can also sponsor a hole for $150. People can take donations to the tournament. Contact Crestmoor at 641-782-2771 or Merritt at jmerritt@unioncountylec.com for more information or to sign up.

“People can come out if they want to and grab a bite to eat, make a donation that way,” Merritt said. “That would be awesome.”

For those interested in donating, send it to Creston Police Department in care of Creston K-9 Unit, 302 N. Pine St.