Keokuk Police Department K9 Officer

(Description used directly from Keokuk Police Department Facebook page)

We have officially started our fundraising efforts for a KPD K9. The Keokuk Police Officer's Association showed their support for this need by donating $2,000 to kick things off.

Donations of any amount would be greatly appreciated to help us bring the first K9 Officer to our department. If you would like to make a donation, checks should be made out to KASPIR (Keokuk Animal Services Partners in Rescue) with KPD K9 in the Memo section.

If you want your donation commemorated we would be happy to have a photo op and check presentation. Just let us know in advance.

Donations can be dropped off at the Keokuk Police Department, 1222 Johnson Street, Keokuk, IA or; Keokuk Animal Services, 249 Carbide Lane, Keokuk, IA, 52632. KASPIR is a 501(c)(3) and donations are tax deductible.

Background;

In March of 2017, an officer with our department gave a PowerPoint presentation that discussed the value of adding a K9 unit. The timing was just a little off, as this came a couple of weeks after our budget work for the next fiscal year ended.

This presentation covered the use of a multi-purpose K9 that has the added benefit of human tracking and, came just a couple of months after an elopement of an autistic child in our community. We knew we would include it in our budget proposal for the following year.

In August of 2017, the Keokuk Police and Fire Departments participated in an elopement tabletop exercise with the hospital and nursing homes in our city. At the conclusion of the exercise, it was apparent that the tracking capability of a multi-purpose dog would be a great asset when searching for people with memory loss, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other medical conditions.

In addition to the tremendous benefit of human tracking, the K9 will be trained in the normal crime detecting skills.

In March of 2018 the Keokuk City Council approved funding necessary for the on-going expenses associated with a K9 and the request to conduct fundraising. The funding became available in July of this year.

KASPIR (Keokuk Animal Services Partners in Rescue) is a group of volunteers that have been working with the city’s animal services for over three years now. They provide animals in our community with veterinarian care and rescue. They are a 501(c)(3) and have agreed to collect and disperse donations designated for the KPD K9.

This will be the first K9 for the Keokuk Police Department. The officer training and K9 selection is scheduled for December of this year.