Marion K-9 Project seeks help adding pups to local law enforcement - Marion Star
A local organization is leading the way to raise money to benefit the K-9 units at the Marion Police Department and Marion County Sheriff's Office.
The Marion Business Builders Chapter of BNI has kicked off the Marion K-9 Project. Jill Chitwood, owner of Sights Unseen Travel and president of the Marion Business Builders Chapter, is spearheading the project.
Chitwood said she came up with the idea of the Marion K-9 Project after a conversation with her friend Lt. Mark Elliott of the Marion Police Department. Elliott is the handler of K-9 officer Lt. Six, who is currently the longest-serving K-9 officer in Marion County.
"I heard that Lt. Six was going to be retiring soon and I knew that the cost of a new dog is quite expensive," Chitwood said. "Our BNI group has been wanting to do things to get more involved in the community. We thought what better way than helping raise funds for the new K-9 or new K-9s, because, actually, all the dogs at the (Marion Police Department) are going to be coming up pretty soon on being able to retire."
Marion Police Chief Jay McDonald said Lt. Six is scheduled to retire this summer and his fellow K-9s, Stash, who works with Det. Colin Lowe on the MARMET Drug Task Force, and Joker, who works with Lt. Richard Wheeler in the Patrol Division, are each eight years old.
"All three of our dogs are getting up there in their seniority so we have to start planning on how we're going to replace these dogs in the future and one of them this summer," McDonald said. "We're expecting this to cost us tens of thousands of dollars, between the purchase of the dog and the training and the time away from the department that we'll have to fill that officer's spot while they're away at training. It's going to cost us probably in the $25,000 range when you add everything up."
McDonald said Lt. Six has become quite the celebrity. The K-9 has his own Facebook page with more than 2,000 followers and is a popular personality in the Marion community.
"Six is probably the most popular law enforcement officer in this county, with his own Facebook page and his own merchandise, his own following," McDonald said. "He's going to be hard to replace."
Lt. Stash has instrumental in assisting human officers in recent raids that have resulted in the seizure of nearly 930 grams of heroin/fentanyl, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
Meanwhile, at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, both of their K-9 officers are fairly new to the job, each of them having been acquired in the last year, according to Sheriff Matt Bayles. K-9 Deputy Comet works with Deputy Sam Staley and K-9 Deputy Viking works with Deputy John Endicott.
"They do a lot for both our officers and the community," said Bayles, who was one of the original K-9 unit members at the Marion Police Department in mid 1990s. "I handled a dog for five years, so I have firsthand knowledge of what they can do and their capabilities."
Bayles said donations from the Elgin Local School District and River Valley Local School District helped to fund the purchase and training of K-9 Deputy Comet and K-9 Deputy Viking.
Chitwood said she decided to put her background in fundraising and event planning to good use and organize the fundraising campaign and events associated with it. The Marion K-9 Project will host a family fun day on Saturday, May 21 on the campus of Ohio State Marion and Marion Technical College. The event will run from noon to 4 p.m., Chitwood said.
Included in the fun day is a cornhole tournament that will feature 32 teams. The registration fee is $60 per team. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third-place teams. Each team will also receive a plaque. The first-place team will receive a set of cornhole boards.
The family fun day will include a kid's area with inflatables and games. Food trucks will be on site throughout the event. The U.S. Army is scheduled to participate, offering games for kids and exhibits of their vehicles. K-9 officers from the police department and sheriff's office will be on hand to provide demonstrations. A vendor's area will be available for local businesses and crafters.
Chitwood said the main attraction will be former Ohio State and NFL football players who are scheduled to attend and sign autographs and take photos with visitors to the fun day.
Chitwood said the Marion Noon Kiwanis Foundation is accepting donations to the Marion K-9 Project on behalf of the Marion Business Builders Chapter of BNI so that any donations made will be tax deductible. She said all checks must be made out to the Marion Noon Kiwanis Foundation and earmarked for the Marion K-9 Project.
"One hundred percent of all donations will go to the Marion K-9 Project," Chitwood said. "The Kiwanis Foundation is not charging any fees for this and all donations will be tax deductible."
McDonald and Bayles said they both appreciate the support that Marion County has shown for both law enforcement agencies throughout the years.
"I'm just proud to work in a community that supports their law enforcement," McDonald said. "Every time we've ever needed the Marion community, they've stepped up. Every K-9 that we've had, the community has helped us get and they've always responded when we've needed them. That's not true everywhere and we're very lucky to be in a community that supports their law enforcement."
For information about the Marion K-9 Project or to become a sponsor of the family fun day, contact Jill Chitwood at 740-262-6891 or go to the Marion Business Builders Chapter of BNI page on Facebook.
(Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @AndrewACCarter.)
source: https://www.marionstar.com/story/news/2022/02/06/marion-k-9-project-lends-paw-local-law-enforcement-agencies/6645972001/
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