SUMMERDALE - The Summerdale Police Department is preparing to welcome a new officer into their ranks - a German Shepard, the first in the department’s new K9 unit.

“We’re lucky enough to already have an officer on staff who’s been a K9 officer in the past,” said Chief Kevin Brock. “Officer Chris Hayes was very successful with the unit in North Alabama.”

Brock says after discussions for the unit began, his team checked into the program’s cost to determine if it was something they wished to pursue. The department then submitted and was awarded a $10,000 grant, before having $10,000 donated by CSU. The Town of Summerdale agreed to move funds from the police department’s drug fund to go towards the K9 unit, giving the department approximately $23,000 to start the program.

“We’re taking this slowly, going one step at a time and making sure everything’s done right,” said Brock. “We’re going to send the dog and the handler to training, as it’s been a while since Officer Hayes was in the K9 unit and he’ll go through the school again and get a refresher on that.”

Brock has run some initial analysis on the program and says he believes it will be an annual cost of approximately $700. He’s spoken with a local veterinarian who has agreed to do all health screenings on the dog at a discounted cost.

“We’ve been wanting to do this for a while, it definitely takes a love for animals and a love for the department,” said Mayor David Wilson. “We stress very strongly that this be done correctly because we’ve been through this I believe around three times before, and it’s fallen apart each time. I’m looking forward to this being done right, we’ve got the right people behind it to move it forward.”