EW Police Canine Unit to be Disbanded if Funds Aren't Raised
By:Jennifer Misthal, Journal Inquirer
05/04/2006
EAST WINDSOR - Unlike their colleagues at the Police Department, Bruno and Mack have the habit of conducting patrol on all fours.
They're also more prone to bark at someone than to shout.
Bruno and Mack make up the department's canine unit, which could once again find itself without sufficient funding to exist.
The unit has been cut from the Police Department's proposed budget for 2006-07, and now only donations and grant money will save it from being disbanded.
In an effort to help fund the unit, the Knights of Columbus is hosting a fundraiser Friday at its hall at 27 Depot St. from 5 to 8 p.m.
The dinner costs $7 per person and tickets can be purchased at the door. Police Department t-shirts also can be purchased for $20.
In order to maintain the canine unit, Police Chief Edward J. DeMarco Jr. said the department needs $11,000, which is not included in the its proposed $2.3 million budget for 2006-07.
Officer David McNeice, who handles Mack, said that the money for the canine unit is used to pay for dog food, veterinarian bills, canine training, and any specialized equipment the dogs require, McNeice said.
He has already secured a $2,000 grant from Wal-Mart for the unit.
Due to budget cuts last year, the town nearly lost the canine unit. But a corporate grant from Big Y supermarket and Milk Bone donated $5,000 to the department in October.
DeMarco said a local business, Scorpion Fasteners Inc. on Newberry Road, also helped out with a donation to the unit.
Mack joined the department in September, and would have likely been cut from duty almost immediately because of budget constraints.
These four-legged officers are integral in protecting the town, McNeice said.
If a suspect flees a scene, the dogs can find them faster than their human counterparts, he said, adding that the dogs can also help track runaways or missing persons.
Dogs also are used in searches of buildings, he said. By relying on a dog, McNeice said, not only can a building be deemed safe faster, but an officer's life will not be put at risk in the process.
The dogs not only apprehend suspects but protect their handlers, McNeice said, referring to himself and Officer Eric Petlick, who works with Bruno.
Suspects are also less likely to flee a crime scene if a dog is present, McNeice said.
"I can't tell you what a deterrent it is," he said.
The police dogs also facilitate community outreach programs, too, especially when children are involved, he said.
Despite the hefty price tag associated with the unit, McNeice said that the dogs are worth the investment. If he or Petlick were at a crime scene without backup, they can rely on their canine partners to help. If a criminal tried to do something, McNeice said, Mack would immediately intervene to protect him.
"It's that added person on the road," he said of Mack and Bruno.
Donations for the unit can be sent to the East Windsor Police Department Canine Unit, 25 School St., East Windsor CT 06008.
©Journal Inquirer 2006
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