by Dennis Dalman
Thanks to a grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, the K-9 unit program received a kick-start at the Sartell Police Department.
At its last meeting, the city council approved acceptance of the grant on behalf of the police department, which had applied for the grant earlier this year.
The last time the department had a canine unit was almost 20 years ago. Officer Lt. Kelly Mader was the handler/coordinator of the K-9 unit back then, and he will once again be in charge of it.
When needed throughout the past two decades – tracking down a suspect, for example, the Sartell department would use police dogs from other police or sheriff’s departments.
In addition to the Firehouse Subs grant, the department also received other K-9 donations, including a $7,500 grant from the United States Police Canine Association.
The money will cover the cost of buying a dog, necessary equipment for the dog and its handler and for getting the program back on track with training for the officer who will be partnering with the K-9. The city has already contracted for those services with a company called Minnesota Canine Consulting of Bloomington. The K-9 unit will be up and running by the end of summer, if not sooner.
Firehouse Subs is a restaurant chain founded 30 years ago that has more than 1,200 restaurants in 46 states, Puerto Rico, Switzerland and Canada. There are several in the St. Cloud area. Since its inception, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has awarded more than $77 million for lifesaving equipment, prevention education, scholarships and continued education, disaster relief for first responders and public-safety organizations along with support for veterans.
