By Meredith McCulloch
At their November 19th meeting, the Bedford Selectman postponed a decision on whether the town should apply for a $25,000 grant for acquiring a police dog, requesting more data on the ongoing costs. The noncompetitive grant, available from the Stanton Foundation, would provide start-up costs, such as the purchase and training of the dog, refitting of a cruiser, constructing a kennel at the handler’s home, a K-9 safety vest, veterinary care and food. The grant should cover those costs for three years but could be stretched to cover five years if other funds were able to supplement the grant. A five-year commitment is required.
Police Chief Robert Bongiorno said “Many chiefs of police consider K-9 teams to be a ‘resource enhancer.’” A dog could assist in locating persons or material that the police are seeking. In recent years Bedford has requested dogs from neighboring communities at least five to seven times a year. Current records do not track requests where no dog was available to respond.
In a recent incident, the police were trying to locate a man who was exposing himself in a local store, but fled before police arrived. There was a one-hour delay before a K-9 from a neighboring town was available. The dog quickly found the man within the perimeter the police had established, but with less risk to the officers.
If Bedford received the grant, the town would be responsible for modification of a town vehicle to transport the dog. It would need to be a take–home vehicle for the handler so he would be able to respond at any hour. The grant budgets $4,500 for the conversion. Initial training would be 14 weeks for the handler and the dog. The Garcia ruling under the Fair Labor Standards Act calls for negotiating additional compensation for K-9 handlers, such as providing a shorter workday or a per diem payment.
The Chief would restrict overtime by not allowing a response to mutual aid requests when the officer is not already on duty or due to changes in officers’ schedules.
Selectman Michael Rosenberg recalled a time decades ago when the town had a police dog. Rosenberg described it as “a public relations disaster.” Called to a loud party, the officer lost control of the dog, and it bit several people. Following the incident, the dog detail was eliminated. Rosenberg granted that training for the dog and officer would be different today. He asked, however, “What would be the protocol for using the dog?” The response was that there would be strong policies in place.
Noting that many times a grant becomes a doorway to an added expense to the town, Chair Bill Moonan asked for a projection of ongoing costs before he could commit to a vote.
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