Highland businesses donate to fund training for police officer and his K-9 partner
Highland’s new K-9 officer has a new accessory, the latest in a long line of donations creating the K-9 program.
Hondo is Highland’s K-9, newly arrived in August and partnered with Officer Brad Sutton. He is a 20-month-old German shepherd, and both he and his training were donated to the Highland Police Department by master trainer Brian Dowdy.
Hondo and Sutton went through 240 hours of training at the St. Louis Metro K-9 Academy, and continue training 16 hours a month, according to Highland Police Chief Carole Presson. Hondo is trained in several aspects of police work, including narcotics detection, building searches and suspect apprehension.
“It’s a pretty exciting program,” Presson said.
Using a K-9 officer is often a deterrent keeping the officer safer, Presson said.
“We have already found when (Hondo) is involved ... there’s a reduction in negative behavior toward law enforcement officers,” she said.
Prior to Hondo, the last time Highland had a K-9 officer was in the 1980s. But everything except the squad car in which he rides was funded through donations by business owners and residents, Presson said. It would be difficult to estimate how much all of it cost, but it would probably have been in excess of $35,000, she said.
Now Hondo has a bullet and stab protective vest courtesy of the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s.
Established in 2009, Vested Interest in K9s is a 501c3 charity whose mission is to provide these protective vests and other assistance to law enforcement dogs throughout the United States. The body armor for K-9 officers is custom-fitted for each dog, weighs approximately 4-5 pounds and is valued at $1,744 to $2,283, according to Vested Interest.
Presson said that while he was in training, Sutton learned about the Vested Interest program and applied for it.
“We would definitely have looked for one for him — we want him protected,” Presson said.
Hondo’s vest was sponsored by Leah Beale of Oklahoma City, according to Vested Interest. The organization can be found online at www.vik9s.org.
