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The O'Neill Police Department is excited to announce the implementation of its new K-9 team. Thanks to the generous donations from individuals and businesses in our area, we were able to reach our goal of $15,000 for the purchase of a police service dog and to cover the costs of initial equipment and training. At the beginning of the year, OPD announced that they had received some generous donations for their K-9 Unit they were re-implementing. The program was approved December 9, 2024. Just a few weeks later the total cost was reached thanks to other businesses, organizations and individuals pledging the remaining amount. With a lot of hard work and patience, the dog and his trainer are now ready to begin work. It took some time from the point when the money was raised to now to get everything prepared. It's a very long process that requires patience and care. Selecting the appropriate dog for the job is an important step. Training the dog also requires much attention and thought. A dog chosen for drug searches must have proper training in order to detect a particular narcotic. A very crucial part of their training is how the dogs are used. The officer can't let the fact that they have a canine companion to break any rules, especially ones related to searches and seizures. The police dog's main intent is to catch those with the intent to deliver drugs, however individuals with personal illegal drugs are also a target. Of course, the canine brings other benefits to the force, but the drug detection is the most sought after. OPD Officer Cully Forker traveled to Jonesboro, Arkansas in April where he selected a one-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois named Fury and trained with him for a week. Upon returning from the initial training, they immediately began the rigorous instruction through the Nebraska State Patrol's K9 program in Grand Island. Officer Forker and Fury became a certified Detector Dog Narcotics Team and received an additional certification in tracking. The O'Neill Police Department looks forward to serving O'Neill and the surrounding communities utilizing this asset. The K-9 Unit is another proactive approach in detecting, locating and deterring the presence of drugs in the area. We would again like to thank everyone for this opportunity that would not have materialized without your support. The O'Neill Police Department hasn't had a K-9 Unit for around eight years. First implemented in 2012, the program was retired in 2017 when the handler resigned and the dog was retired. This is a great opportunity for the Police Department as well as the community as a whole.
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| Tags | Dog OPD |
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