Agenda Packets - 2011/08/01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item 04 August 1, 2011, Work Session Page 4 Options for further funding are often achieved through fundraising by private non-profit groups and donations from the community. This has been the case in the cities of Roseville, St Paul, Blaine and others. The amount generated through this type of means is dependent upon community interest and participation. It would be difficult to estimate how much could potentially be raised to fund a canine program. As an example, a recent event titled as a “pet walk” in the city of Blaine helped raise over $6000 through the efforts of a group formed as a non-profit 501-C3 organization. Further means of achieving funds could also be funded through the police forfeiture fund. Reducing the original projected cost of $18,000 by the $6000 St Paul K9 Foundation grant leaves approximately $12,000 required to generate through fundraising, donations and forfeiture funds. There are additional annual costs to anticipate such as overtime pay for the officer and the on-going veterinarian care and food expense for the canine. Vet care and food can expect to total $1500/year, as listed in Table 1. Potential overtime pay for the officer is estimated to run $4000-$8000/year. Most of this cost is due to the additional compensation to the handler for the care of the canine while at home. This is a provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which requires the handler to receive some form of compensation for the dog care. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Dept currently pays a canine handler an additional half hour overtime pay to the officer on work days and a full hour overtime pay while on days off. An alternative arrangement could be based on time where the officer who is scheduled to work 12 hour shifts, is paid for the full 12 hours, but only works 11 hours. The disadvantage with this arrangement, as mentioned previously, is the created schedule gap with coverage. There could also be the possibility of a combination of either type of arrangement. However, this would likely be negotiated through the Law Enforcement Labor Services collective bargaining agreement. Overtime could be limited by departmental policy addressing what circumstances the canine officer would be called off duty in reporting for work. The estimated projected annual cost of overtime and canine maintenance expenses could be $5500-$9500 per year. Summary The addition of a canine program offers benefits to the police department and community that can only advance the safety, productivity and effectiveness of the department as well as significantly provide a new means of community relationship. The implementation of a canine program would assist the officers in safe searches and apprehension and offer more efficient methods of narcotic detection. Ownership of a departmental canine would significantly reduce the reliance we have had on other agencies’ canine units. Careful selection of the canine handler and clear policy direction will drive a successful program.