City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Daniel Sauer, Chief of Police
Date: 07/09/2024
Subject: Purchase of Police K-9
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve and authorize the purchase of a Police K-9 to replace the retired K-9 Vitus including the initial expense to purchase and train the Police K-9 in the not to exceed amount of $25,254.02 and the on-going annual expense of $5,800 per year (funding source: General Fund).
BACKGROUND:
On May 28, 2024, Vitus, a Drug Detection/Apprehension/Tracking Police K-9, was retired from service. There is currently one Police K-9 dog in service with the Ripon Police DepartmentPolice K-9 (Argos) that is active and assigned to Officer Kyle Prather. The Ripon Police Department would like to replace Vitus with another Police K-9, in order to have two active dogs in service. The department has already identified a handler, Officer Matthew Brodhag.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The department’s K-9 Program - usage in drug detection, tracking, suspect searches, and deescalation has proven to be a valuable resource for the department and community.
The Ripon Police Department has been in contact with a company in Germany, MM Dog Training that has a suitable Police K-9 available. MM Dog Training is where the department purchased the other Police K-9s. The K-9 is a 2-year old German Shepherd named Jackpot, that has received training in obedience, tracking, protection work, and is currently being cross-trained in narcotic detection.
Having a second dog will allow us to better serve and protect our community. If approved, K-9 Jackpot will be ready to be implemented into patrol services around November of 2024.
The following is a summary of the initial expense to purchase and train a Police K-9:
Purchase of dog: $16,056.51
Equipment (kennel, leashes, etc): $2,397.51
8-week handler school: $6,800.00
Total: $25,254.02
Once the dog is in service, the following is a summary of the on-going annual expense:
Annual maintenance training (16 hrs per month): $3,300
Annual care and maintenance: $2,500
Total: $5,800
FISCAL IMPACT:
The initial expense of $25,254.02 to purchase and train the Police K-9 and the on-going annual expense of $5,800 per year are to be funded by the General Fund.