BELLE ISLE, FL - The Belle Isle Police Department is looking to fund its first K-9, Belle, who has been trained to track missing people and not to bite.
A $25,000 contribution earlier this year helped launch the new K-9 unit, according to MyNews13. Now, the department has taken part in a calendar magnet fundraiser and are waiting to see if city council members will approve accepting the donation. "Belle is a huge asset to the department and to the city," said Officer Jeff Hernandez of Belle Isle Police. He is K-9 Belle's handler.
He says that her powerful nose will most certainly save lives. "Her only job is strictly to find missing people or suspects, that's it," he said. "She's not a bite dog, so she's not mean to bite."
Adding Belle to the department has come at a steep price, according to Police Chief Travis Grimm. He said that donations have been essential in making the program possible. "You think you have a lot of money, but there is a lot of money involved on the back end," he said. "Just to outfit a K-9 vehicle, I think it was $14,000."
The latest fundraiser included the police department partnering with Law Enforcement Partners, selling calendar magnets featuring K-9 Belle. "We still know we have some stuff we're going to have to pay for in the future," Grimm said. "We don't want to burden the taxpayers as much as possible, so we went out and looked at this."
Hernandez said for him, the program is personal. He said that every hour spent training with Belle is about being ready when the community needs her most. "It's an honor," he said. "It's one of my dreams as an officer to be able to do this."
With enough support from the community, Belle Isle Police hope that Belle won't be the only dog on duty.
A $25,000 contribution earlier this year helped launch the new K-9 unit, according to MyNews13. Now, the department has taken part in a calendar magnet fundraiser and are waiting to see if city council members will approve accepting the donation. "Belle is a huge asset to the department and to the city," said Officer Jeff Hernandez of Belle Isle Police. He is K-9 Belle's handler.
He says that her powerful nose will most certainly save lives. "Her only job is strictly to find missing people or suspects, that's it," he said. "She's not a bite dog, so she's not mean to bite."
Adding Belle to the department has come at a steep price, according to Police Chief Travis Grimm. He said that donations have been essential in making the program possible. "You think you have a lot of money, but there is a lot of money involved on the back end," he said. "Just to outfit a K-9 vehicle, I think it was $14,000."
The latest fundraiser included the police department partnering with Law Enforcement Partners, selling calendar magnets featuring K-9 Belle. "We still know we have some stuff we're going to have to pay for in the future," Grimm said. "We don't want to burden the taxpayers as much as possible, so we went out and looked at this."
Hernandez said for him, the program is personal. He said that every hour spent training with Belle is about being ready when the community needs her most. "It's an honor," he said. "It's one of my dreams as an officer to be able to do this."
With enough support from the community, Belle Isle Police hope that Belle won't be the only dog on duty.
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