K-9 officer 'vital tool'

Sgt. Joe Koetter of rural McCook, a deputy with the Red Willow County Sheriff's Department, would be the handler for the new K-9 officer that the sheriff's department wants to purchase. "He won't be a house pet," Koetter said. "He'll be a serious working dog."

Red Willow County's new K-9 officer would be a serious working dog, a vital tool in the county's and Southwest Nebraska's fight against crime.

A "K-9 Committee" is raising money and accepting donations to purchase the dog whose command center would be the Red Willow County Sheriff's office.

Sheriff's deputy Sgt. Joe Koetter, an officer with the department for seven years, has volunteered to have the new dog live with him and his family. However, Koetter said, the dog won't be just a hairy, slobbering, four-legged member of the family. "He won't be a household family pet," Koetter said. "He'll be a working dog."

Koetter said the need for a K-9 officer continued after the county's first dog/officer, Stryker, died in March 2007. "It's time for another dog," Koetter said.

Sheriff Gene Mahon said that unfortunately there are indicators of drug activity in the area. The mere presence of a drug dog, he said, is often a deterrent to drug manufacturers, dealers and traffickers. "People transporting drugs may stay away if they know there's a drug dog on both the north-south and east-west highways," Mahon said.

"A dog can be quite an intimidation factor," Koetter said. " ... another tool at our disposal."

Koetter foresees the new dog helping with searches for illegal drugs. "I like being a patrol officer," Koetter said, explaining that nagging feeling that he sometimes gets when he "just knows" that a vehicle should be searched for illegal drugs.

The dog will also be trained in tracking. Koetter said he recalls incidents in the past couple years when a dog would have come in handy, tracking a missing person, a run-away, an escapee, even an elderly Alzheimer's victim who wandered away from care-givers. Just a couple weeks ago, a dog could have been put to work when rescue personnel feared they may have a third victim of an accident, someone thrown away from the car.

Following an initial five- to eight-week training session at the Nebraska State Patrol Training Center in Grand Island, Koetter and the dog will need to attend yearly State Patrol training and recertification. Koetter will be required to work with the dog in monthly and weekly training sessions as well. With the training and certification that the dog will receive, he can be used anywhere in the world, Mahon said.

The dog will be made available to law enforcement officials within Southwest Nebraska. "Mostly the (McCook) police department and (Nebraska) State Patrol," Mahon said, but he added that other officials throughout the area are excited about the possibility of having a dog nearby.

The closest K-9 officers are State Patrol dogs in North Platte -- who work almost exclusively on Interstate 80 -- and in Holdrege -- nearly 1 1/2 hours from McCook.

The dog hasn't been ordered yet, said Sheriff Mahon, who added that he greatly appreciates the $8,300 in donations that have been made to the cause thus far.

The dog himself will cost $6,000. The K-9 Committee wants to raise a total of $22,000, which would pay for the trip to Kasseburg Kennels of New Market, Ala., to pick up the dog, an outside kennel and cement slab at Sgt. Koetter's and initial training, room-and-board and kennel fees; and annual costs for veterinary bills, food, liability insurance and recertification for dog and handler.

Sheriff Mahon said that the fund includes $10,000 that will help the county purchase a new/used vehicle when it's time to trade something in. Mahon said that the committee's plans are not to purchase a new vehicle immediately, or exclusively for transportation of the dog. Koetter said that the Dodge Durango SUV that he drives as a patrol vehicle will work fine with the dog; it will be modified with a cage, proper signage and possibly a remote tailgate lock.

Mahon said they hope to have the dog by October or November.

The K-9 Committee is still accepting donations and planning fund-raisers.

Tax-deductible donations can be made out to the "Nebraska Community Foundation," the non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides Nebraskans and former Nebraskans a way to donate to the state and it's communities.

The note on a check must indicate that the donation is for the "Red Willow County Canine Unit," Sheriff Mahon said.

Donations are to be mailed to the Sheriff's office, at 502 Norris Ave., McCook, NE 69001.