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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Galloway Police Welcome Two New K-9 Dogs as Long-Time Police K-9 Officer "Chase" Retires

Credit Press of AC - K-9 Officer Melendez & "Chase"
Galloway Township Police Department welcomes two new Police K-9's "Rocky" and "Chico" to the Department's Rank and File as two dogs begin to retire.  K-9 Officer Hiram Melendez will be retiring his long-time Partner "Chase" who is one of the original K-9's the Township purchased in 2005. 

K-9 Officer Scott Winneberger has already retired his K-9 Partner "Lycos." Winneberger teamed up with Lycos after his first partner Blaze lost his life in June 2010. According to Detective Sergeant Donna Higbee "it was unfortunate the Township had to retire Lycos."  


Credit: Galloway Patch
Lycos graduated the 16-week K9 Course at the John "Sonny" Burke Canine Training Facility in 2012. While in additional training the Township saw a need to terminate the narcotics training Lycos was receiving as he developed environmental issues during that training.  

An example given was the requirement for the dog to go into specific spaces, confined or otherwise that was required for the narcotics training. The Township was unable to return Lycos to the original vendor as the guarantee on the dog had expired. Winneberger will retain ownership of Lycos. 

Winneberger has already received his new K-9 Partner "Rocky" who is already enrolled and currently training in the K-9 narcotics program. Rocky is scheduled to attend the 16-week K9 Course at the John "Sonny" Burke Canine Training Facility starting January 2014. 

Melendez will officially retire his long-time K-9 Partner "Chase" in 2014. Chase is currently working in a limited capacity according to Det. Sgt. Donna Higbee. Chase has been with Melendez for approximately eight (8) years. Upon retirement Melendez will begin training his new Partner "Chico" who is scheduled to begin the 16-week K9 Course at the John "Sonny" Burke Canine Training Facility in January 2014.

According to Det. Sgt. Donna Higbee, the two new K-9's are both male dogs and approximately 14-months old. The Township purchased both dogs in the amount of $14,400 with proceeds from the K-9 Contribution Fund and from the Township's Forfeiture (seized) Fund. The Township received both dogs two weeks ago.

The Township purchased both K-9's from Castle's Canine located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. According to Chief Patrick Moran, Castle's Canine was selected as the vendor based upon their reputation, environment for which the animals are kept in and  the availability of dogs. 

Chief Patrick Moran stated he is eager to backfill these positions with the two new dogs which will bring the K-9 unit back to four active dogs on the street with the purchase of "Rocky" and "Chico."

"I appreciate all of the hard work and dedication all of the Officers put forth for this K-9 Program" stated Chief Moran. "The K-9's are a significant asset to the Department and to the Community" Moran further stated.  

According to Det. Sgt. Donna Higbee a significant amount of money seized is attributed to the work of the K-9's and their handlers. The Township in turn uses portions of the seized money and K-9 contributions to fund the K-9 unit, supplies including bullet proof vests and the purchase of new dogs. 

Melendez and Winneberger will maintain ownership of their partners upon the retirement of each K-9. The Township will continue to cover the costs for both Chase and Lycos for up to one-year after retirement. The costs include any medical and food expenses. 

The Township's expense for medical is based upon a flat fee per dog which is approximately $700. That amount is allocated within the Police Departments regular budget. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Retirement and Welcome. Happy the Twp is keeping dogs. Good job.

Anonymous said...

Thank you GTPD and Chief Moran for keeping the Dogs.

Anonymous said...

Chase has been great for Galloway. Sad to see him retire but excited to see new dogs come in. Great job to the GTPD.

Anonymous said...

I love knowing when my family sleeps at night great men, women, and dogs protect them through the night. Thank you and welcome new arrivals. Great story GTN!

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