Borough police seek K-9 unit

By C.J. LOVELACE
Staff Writer

The Shippensburg Police Department will hopefully be welcoming a new, furrier officer in the near future.

Approved by Police Chief Fred Scott and the borough, the department is hoping to enlist the help of a K-9 police dog to better serve the community and combat the recent rash of drugs and crime in the Shippensburg area.

Officer Chris Palamara has been trying to get the word out about starting the K-9 unit and said it will take some help from the community to get it moving.

“It’s in the beginning stages right now,” said Palamara. “I’ve been planning this for the last couple months and putting together the costs. Basically, since the community is going to benefit from it, we’re looking for support from them to push for it.”

The McCune Lumber Company was the first business to donate a check to the department and recently Wal-Mart agreed to provide dog food and a kennel while the Shippensburg Veterinary Hospital offered to provide needed health services for the dog.

Scott said Palamara first approached him about it, and then the chief spoke to Mayor Bruce Hockersmith about bringing in the new unit. Borough council told the department they would need to be “self-sufficient” monetarily and it’s up to Palamara to acquire the financial backing to start it.

“If it’s at no cost to the borough, we’ll get it; if it’s a cost to the borough, we probably won’t,” said Scott. “That’s the bottom line. Every borough is dealing with financial situations.”

Palamara’s estimates include the need for a donated patrol car and necessary equipment for the dog, such as an additional cooling system in the vehicle and a cage.

When asked when he thought they’d have the resources to bring in the dog, the officer had to think for a minute.

“We’re going to try to have it … I would say, at the earliest, it would be next summer as long as we get support and raise some money for it,” Palamara said.

Once in place, the benefits of having a local K-9 unit are becoming more and more apparent, said Palamara, mentioning the increasing amounts of drugs and overdoses the community is experiencing.

“Right now is probably one of the most important times that we’d need a police dog,” said Palamara, who also said the increased expansion of Shippensburg University is bringing more traffic from cities, such as Philadelphia and Baltimore, that are “directly linked” to people bringing in drugs and weapons.

Scott agreed that the dog would be a very nice asset to the department, especially for time concessions.

“We always have to call out (for a dog),” said Scott. “If we have it in-house, it makes it a lot easier to do things.”

One situation fresh in Palamara’s mind when it would have proved beneficial occurred just recently after a robbery at Sheetz when the thief fled the store on foot.

 “By the time we were able to get the closest available K-9, it took almost an hour,” he said. “And it was raining at the time, which made it more difficult.”

This would not have been the case if the police dog was in town. Palamara said he would be the caretaker for the K-9 and it would be with him at all times. Living just a couple minutes outside of town at the officer’s home, the dog would be available literally any time it would be needed.

“One of the biggest factors in being successful with a K-9 is being able to deploy soon,” said Palamara, who said the dog they received in the Sheetz situation did not lead them in the right direction because it was too late by the time it got there.

In addition, a police dog would be beneficial not only as a search and seizure resource, but also as intimidation for criminals and drug dealers.

“Having a police dog is a strong deterrent,” said Palamara. “When they see a dog, it deters more and more people from bringing that kind of stuff to the area.”

“It’s also a big deterrent of personal actions,” Scott added. “People are less likely to come at you or take a defensive position when they know a dog is involved.”

The addition would also promote cohesiveness between area police forces and the state police because it would be another resource available when it’s needed. For example, if a situation would arise somewhere near the borough, like in Shippensburg Township, which is patrolled by the state police, and a dog was needed, the department could respond within a matter of minutes to help.

With a K-9 unit, Palamara noted that it would give the department an opportunity to make a connection with younger kids in the community, too.

“It gives a positive reinforcement with the kids and gives the outlook that the police are a good thing,” Palamara said. “A lot of times the police aren’t looked at as a good thing, but the dog can help that.”

The officer said that it would give them the opportunity to bring the dog to schools and give demonstrations of what a K-9 unit can do to help the community. When everything is in order, the department will look to Castle K-9 near Carlisle to find their dog. Palamara said it is one of the most elite training facilities around.

“That’s the place everyone gets their dogs,” said Palamara. “(Castle K-9) goes over to Europe and handpicks dogs for the program.”

The K-9 Palamara is looking for will be a “dual-purpose” dog, for use out on patrol and for searching for narcotics. The dog will most likely be half Belgian Malawa and half German Shepherd, which is a “good dog starting dog,” said Palamara.

 

For anyone interested in donating to the Shippensburg Police K-9 Fund, they can contact Officer Chris Palamara by email at cpalamara@shippensburg.pa.us or by phone at the Shippensburg Police Department at 717-532-7361.