KCSD Working On Getting Drug-Detecting Dog For Jail
KCSD Working On Getting Drug-Detecting Dog For Jail
Posted
Leah Sander-
KCSD Working On Getting Drug-Detecting Dog For JailKosciusko County Sheriff’s Department is working on bringing a drug-detecting dog to the county jail.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Merit Board heard that news from KCSO Chief Deputy Chris McKeand at its meeting Thursday.
KCSD Training Coordinator Sgt. Travis Shively, who’s overseeing the process, discussed the matter.
“We have interviews for a corrections handler later this afternoon,” Shively said. “We’ve got three people that have applied for that spot.”
“We thought we had a dog. Unfortunately, that fell through yesterday,” he said. “So we’re still in the process of … what we’re looking for that part of it.”
In response to a question from board member Travis McConnell, Shively said the K9 would be mainly focused on narcotics detection.
“We’re going to train it in evidence search and tracking as well, so that if we have, let’s say a dementia patient or missing child or whatnot, we can use that dog, which is a non-bite dog,” he said. “Even though most of our (regular) dogs would probably do it without any issue, at the end of it … we know ahead of time that if (the new) dog goes out, it’s something that the kid can play with, the adult can play with, so to speak, while we’re waiting on emergency services to show up.”
He said the new dog should also be easier to take out to elementary schools, etc., for demonstrations.
While running for office, Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith had said bringing a drug-detecting K9 to the jail was one of his priorities.
New Officer
The board also approved the conditional hiring of Isaac Adams as a merit deputy.
Adams is a Warsaw Community High School graduate and comes to the KCSO after more than 10 years with the North Manchester Police Department.
KCSD Patrol Commander Lt. Mike Mulligan said the KCSO still has two deputy positions left to fill.
New Treatment Program
The board also heard the KCSD is considering bringing a new drug treatment program to the jail.
The program would be like one currently operating in Dearborn County, which KCSD leadership, the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office and others recently took a look at.
McKeand said the considered program would “supplement our (Jail Chemical Addiction Program).”
It would help more with when inmates “get out of custody,” he said.
“I believe where we’ve fallen short is the reintegration portion of those (current) programs,” said McKeand.
“This program … encompasses … mental health, improvements in the jail, substance abuse programs in the jail for the total population and then it adds a component that actually helps with the integration of that person to continue that treatment outside of jail,” he said. “We’re going to work hard to try to bring that here in the near future.”
