Posted: 5/1/07
Houston County may have K-9 officer on board by this summer
By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
If all goes as planned, the Houston County Sheriffís Department might be adding another officer, named Virgil - for just $150 a month. Virgil would be a full time, fully-licensed officer. Virgil was introduced to the Houston County Board during the April 24 meeting.
Virgil is a three-year-old German shepherd owned by Lt. Tracie Erickson of the Houston County Sheriffís Department. Sheriff Doug Ely is proposing the county lease the highly-trained canine officer from Erickson for one year. Erickson would serve as the dogís handler and as the countyís K-9 officer.
The cost to the county would be minimal, but the benefits, according to the sheriff, would be many.
"Just in the past month, a K-9 dog would have saved us a lot of time with several drug busts," Ely said. "A dog like Virgil would also be very valuable when looking for a lost person in the woods, or tracking down someone fleeing from us."
In a memo to the county board, Ely proposed the county lease Virgil from Erickson for one year with the option to renew the contract. He is confident public support for a K-9 officer in Houston County is there, and feels the majority of the costs involved in adding Virgil to his staff would be covered through donations. He noted the Houston Hoedown Days committee has donated $2,415 for the proposed K-9 program. His department has also received an aluminum canine kennel that fits in the back of a squad car from Wabasha County.
According to Chief Deputy Scott Yeiter, an area kennel made an offer to donate food for the K-9 program, and an area vet clinic has offered to donate vet services.
"We really feel the support is out there, and are confident this program can sustain itself," Yeiter said.
If the county was going to go out and purchase a fully-trained K-9 dog, the price tag would be in the $7,500 to $10,000 range, according to Erickson. Virgil was sired in Germany, and comes from a long line of K-9 dogs. Erickson, who is a certified K-9 trainer, got Virgil when he was a pup and has been training him ever since. At the present time, Virgil is 85 percent trained and will be fully-certified in the near future.
Virgil is trained to do drug searches for five different types of illegal drugs, and also for search and rescue. Erickson pointed out that the dog is not trained to sniff out bombs or search for cadavers.
Commissioner Tom Bjerke asked if the county would need to hire on another deputy if Erickson becomes the county K-9 officer. Ely responded having Virgil on the staff would be like having another officer. Virgil would be with Erickson 24-7, and would serve as his partner.
Ely added at the present time Fillmore County does not have a K-9 dog, but Winona County does. Bjerke asked if other counties would request Virgilís services. Ely replied counties in the area task force share K-9 dogs but are then compensated accordingly. At the present time, Houston County has utilized a K-9 dog from La Crosse at $75 per hour, with a three hour minimum.
"With those rates, it wouldnít take long to pay for the $150 a month lease," Ely pointed out.
Ely was asked about the countyís liability with a K-9 dog. The annual cost for liability insurance would be $560, which would bring the total cost of the program to approximately $2,400 per year.
Commissioner Larry Connery asked Ely if the dog could be used to sniff out contraband in the schools. The sheriff said the school would have to request the dog. "We just canít go in there. Students have rights."
Connery replied he felt bringing the dog into the schools would be a good way for students to connect with law enforcement. Ely agreed and added if the program gets off the ground, they plan to have Virgil in the schools as much as possible, as a public relations tool.
"Right now weíre just asking for the boardís support," Ely said. "We wanted to explain the program, the many benefits, and the support we have already received. Weíre just asking if you want us to proceed with this. We feel we can have enough money raised within a couple of months make this a self-supporting program."
A motion made by Connery and seconded by Commissioner Larry Graf to instruct the sheriffís department to proceed with the planning and fund-raising process was unanimously approved.
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