Jackson police seek OK to start up canine unit BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer DAVE BENJAMIN Jackson Police Officer Kevin Chesney addresses the Township Council and explains why the department is seeking local government approval to start a canine unit. JACKSON - Expressing a desire to better serve the community, police officers want to add a canine unit to the Jackson Police Department. "Councilman (Scott) Martin and I have been speaking with members of the police department, and personally I'm convinced of the need for the program," Councilman Jason Gudaitis said at the Feb. 13 meeting of the Township Council. Jackson police officers Joseph Oleksy and Kevin Chesney, Brick Township Police Officer Ron Braen and K-9 Officer Neo, a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever from the Brick Township Police Department, made their case for such a unit to be added in Jackson. "We have proposed this in the past and it has been kicked around for several years," Oleksy said. "The PBA and the police department have come to the point where [a canine unit] is a needed tool in this township and we are going to try to outline several of those aspects." DAVE BENJAMIN Brick Township Police Officer Ron Braen and K-9 Officer Neo were on hand in Jackson to demonstrate how they work together. "[We would like to] create another service for the residents of Jackson," Chesney said. "This would also provide additional safety and support for police officers on the road and would reinforce positive public relations with residents." A K-9 officer can help with the apprehension of suspects and provide protection for police officers, Chesney said, adding, "They increase productivity with arrests." Police dogs also help with public relations. "They're out there in the public," Chesney said. "It's a good reinforcement. The dog gives back to the community." Chesney said Jackson had a K-9 unit in the past but it was disbanded following a Texas court ruling. "When the ruling came down it was determined that all officers were to be compensated for off-duty time," the officer told the council. "If the police officer was on the road for eight hours, there were other hours that the officer maintained and cared for the dog." As a result, a significant amount of overtime was paid, he said. Chesney said in 2001 there was a revised ruling that overtime compensation for canine care can be held to a different standard. Officers will receive compensation, but not at the same rate, he said. It was stated that Ocean County, Brick Township, Plumsted, Howell, Toms River, Asbury Park, Wall Township and Stafford have canine units. "Most of these were not around, and little by little they're starting to come back," Chesney said, explaining that a police department without a canine unit must ask for assistance from another department when those services are needed. He gave an example of a case in the county in which an individual had marijuana and $10,000 in cash in his possession. There was an arrest. The K-9 officer found the hidden money and that money was seized. Hopefully, with seizures and forfeitures, the unit could eventually pay for itself, he said. Braen explained the functions of a variety of specifically trained K-9 officers: patrol dogs; dogs that search for drugs and weapons; tracking dogs that are used to help locate missing individuals and burglary suspects; detection dogs who can locate bombs, guns and ammunition; arson dogs to investigate suspicious fires; cross-trained dogs; and cadaver dogs that search for bodies. "A dog can do [searches] it would take officers hours to do," Braen said. "More and more there are calls from schools and businesses with disgruntled employees. Today there was a threat of a bomb at Manchester High School and last week it was West Long Branch." Braen said police dogs had to go to Jackson Liberty High School based on a threat made by a student. "There were 11 dogs in two mornings from several departments," the officer said. Oleksy mentioned an incident at the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson several years ago when a police dog was called in to examine a suspicious item. Oleksy said the dogs can smell what officers cannot see. The suspicious item turned out to be wires and sand. "It closed the park and created a lot of inconvenience for people that day," the officer said. "Some dogs can be cross-trained," Oleksy said. "That's what we're looking to go for, a dog that can [check out narcotics]. They can be trained within one year." Speaking of the value of having a K-9 officer, Chesney said, "When you find that 3-year-old child who has been missing for several hours, going out into the woods, bringing him home. You're not going to beat it." During the public portion of the meeting, resident Stan Goldman asked if there is a definite need for such a unit. The officers said there is a need to start a K-9 unit. Council President Angelo Stallone interjected, "That's why they're here, to show that there is a need." Goldman responded, "It's clear enough. If you need the dogs, then you need the dogs. It's hard to believe that any resident in Jackson is not going to want to give you the tools that you need to do your job." The officers said a dog costs between $5,000 and $7,000. Most of the dogs come from the Czech Republic. The police representatives said there may be an offer from an individual in Jackson who will pay for the first dog and someone who may be willing to purchase a second dog for the police department. K-9 officer Neo gave a demonstration of how a search for drugs is made. The council did not make a decision on the request during the Feb. 13 meeting. Funding for the unit would have to be included in the municipal budget and would require council approval.