Ventnor K-9 Units, including including Lt. David Gaeckle and his partner Axel, and Officer Marc Franco Jr. and his partner Joker.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – Mayor Beth Holtzman wants to see the Ventnor Police Department’s K-9 Unit reinstated. Former Police Chief Doug Biagi disbanded the unit last November forcing the retirement of K-9s Axel and Joker, who have since been adopted by their handlers. At the time, Biagi stated the types of crimes being committed in the city no longer warranted having a K-9 Unit.
Holtzman said the city’s nationally recognized K-9s were trained to sniff out drugs and help apprehend suspects, but a new unit could include dogs trained for search and rescue.
“On our beaches every summer more than 30 plus children go missing from their families,” she said. “Most of the time they are found quickly and some are not found that quickly. But as a parent, even a minute is a lifetime for a parent’s panic when a two- or three-year-old can’t be found.”
Holtzman also noted that children with autism often wander and may be attracted to the water and seniors with dementia often go out and wander regardless of the weather.
“K-9s trained for search and rescue would only be a plus for the safety of our vulnerable,” she said.
Additionally, Holtzman said police dogs demand respect from would be criminals.
“In our society, the culture we live in has stripped men and women in blue of the respect they deserve,” she said. “I’ve never seen anybody go up to a police officer and say ‘Can I pet your dog?’ Those dogs just look at them and demand respect.”
Holtzman said a K-9 patrol in a “shady” area of the city where unsavory activities are commonplace could clean up the neighborhood.
“Our beach and the boardwalk has been an escape route for juveniles doing crimes. We know darn well that a trained dog can outrun anybody,” she said.
Solicitor Mark Nehmad said the mayor made some good points about deterrents and vulnerable populations, but the municipality should carefully weigh the pros and cons, including potential liability issues.
Holtzman made her comments during the ‘discussion items’ portion of the agenda, and no action was taken.
Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Kriebel deferred commenting until Police Chief Joe Fussner could be heard on the issue.
Kriebel said establishing a new unit could be at least three years out due to current police staffing levels.
“We’re still coming back to full role,” and handling a K-9 takes officers off the street for training, he said.
“Having K-9s might not necessarily be the right tool to improve some of the points that community policing can improve,” Kriebel said.
According to Commissioner Lance Landgraf, Fussner included a community policing component in his 100-day plan when he took the chief’s position on Jan. 1.
“With so much change coming from the Attorney General’s Office and the Legislature, we need to revamp law enforcement moving forward,” Fussner said shortly after he was promoted. “We need to be more proactive, approachable and engage with the community more. We need to build relationships and rapport with residents, so they are more likely to approach us with their concerns before they become a big issue.”
Biagi said the elimination of the K9 Unit was a cost-cutting measure that would save on the annual cost of 24 days of canine police training, allow specially equipped police cruisers to be put back into the fleet of vehicles used every day, and eliminate the cost of veterinarian visits, vaccinations, and food for the two Belgian Malinois. It would also eliminate worker’s compensation claims when the dogs cause injuries to their handlers during the course of police work.
In other business, the mayor suggested the city adopt a policy requiring anyone who receives training to perform their jobs at the city’s expense, should be required to stay working in the municipality for at least three years, or reimburse the city for the cost of the training and certification.
“You can have employees here for two years who want to go to school and get education reimbursement if the get a B or higher, it’s a benefit. But there has to be the attachment there. If they leave employment within three or five years, they reimburse us. Taxpayers should not pay for someone to be educated to a point and then leave our city and another city get that benefit,” Holtzman said.
No action was taken on either issue.
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