The Port Huron Police Department is going to be getting a new officer. This new recruit will be on four legs, though. The Port Huron City Council approved the acquisition of a new canine officer, or police dog, at Monday’s meeting. Officer Chad Smith has been the officer in charge of the current police dog, but with his promotion to Detective, the department will be needing a new dog.
City Manager James Freed explained to the council that the current dog has a year or two of service left in him, but police canines cannot be transferred from one handler to another. The current dog will “go home” with Officer Smith.
The new dog will be coming from Shallow Creek Kennels of Pennsylvania, which is a privately owned and operated police service dog importing and training facility that the city has acquired dogs from previously. The $8,000 fee charged by the facility will be covered by the Canine Services Fund which is supported by the Dorothea Knight charitable donation.
A new dog handler will be selected in the next few weeks. Representatives from the Port Huron police department said that the new dog will not be trained to sniff out marijuana, as it is now legal. Marijuana detection leading to searches has been ruled unconstitutional in other states.
