The Prescott K-9 Fund committee is celebrating a $10,000 donation received last month from BNSF Railway Foundation for the benefit of the community. With this donation, the Prescott K-9 project is now within $23,000 of its fundraising goal. If the community can raise $13,000 of that remaining amount, a private donor has committed to fund the final $10,000.

The Prescott K-9 Fund, a fund within the Prescott Foundation, was established in 2018 to raise money to support the purchase and training of a K-9 dog for the Prescott Police Department. Nearly $15,000 had previously been raised by the committee through a grant from the Prescott Foundation and memorial donations made at the request of the family of Gary Krutke, Prescott’s former Chief of Police who died in August of 2017. An additional $22,000 has been donated to the committee’s account at First National Bank-Prescott from business and personal donations and local fundraisers.

Costs involved with the project include purchase of the dog, three months of certified training for both dog and officer/handler, a vehicle that can accommodate the K-9 and other equipment needs and upkeep.

“This matching grant challenge puts some urgency into this project,” noted Lisa Johnson, Prescott K-9 project committee member. “It invites the community to be a part of the purchase of this dog – a policing resource and benefit for Prescott.”

Although this effort represents a private funding initiative, the K-9 Fund committee has the full support of the Prescott City Council and Police Department, now led by Chief Eric Michaels. The purchase of the dog and its training would represent a private/public collaboration on behalf of the Prescott community.

The dog’s training would prepare it for narcotics detection, locating missing persons (such as a lost child or elderly or vulnerable person who may have cognitive issues), as well as tracking felony suspects especially through large expanses like industrial parks or the area’s unique river bluff terrain. A trained police dog can detect and follow scent hours after a person has moved through an area. A police dog that alerts its handler to the presence of narcotics, outside of a vehicle for example, constitutes “probable cause” and allows that officer to initiate a broader search. The K-9 unit will also increase community engagement, including with Prescott schools.

“The ultimate benefit of a police dog is in assisting officers in their work of keeping citizens safe and protected,” notes Prescott police officer Jesse Neely. “This dog will be an additional resource for our department – and another positive way to draw the police department and community together in partnership.”

Donations for the Prescott K-9 Fund can be made at the Prescott Foundation, www.prescottfoundation.com Visit our Facebook page for more information (search for Prescott K9 Project).

The Prescott K-9 Fund is a fund within the Prescott Foundation, a local community foundation enriching the quality of life in the Prescott area.

The Prescott Foundation is an affiliate of the St. Croix Valley Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization fully accredited by the Community Foundation National Standards Board and the Charities Review Council. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.