MILLSBORO, Del. -- The Millsboro Police Department is looking to start its first-ever K-9 program.
According to Chief Brian Calloway, the K-9 would be a Labrador used for drug searches and community outreach.
"I want this to be an opportunity for us to go to community events," says Calloway. "People can approach the dog, greet the dog, and I think it would be a great way to join the dog with people."
On Monday, the Millsboro Town Council approved a vehicle partition that would allow a K-9 and a passenger to ride in the backseat at the same time. Chief Calloway tells WBOC he has already secured $7,000 in funding for the partition, but he needs more.
"You can really get a K-9 started, a single purpose K-9, which this will be, for under $25,000," says Calloway. "My goal is that this would be initiated through grant funding only."
Millsboro Town Councilman Marty Presley supports the effort. He says a K-9 is needed to help fight rising drug issues. However, he and other council members have concerns about maintaining the program financially.
"It was told to us as equivalent of hiring a new full-time officer," Presley tells WBOC. "It could be. And of course, that's an ongoing expense for the town as long as we have the dog."
Chief Calloway says he is still working on the final numbers, which will eventually need to be approved by the Town as part of the next budget cycle.