Lafayette OKs police canine

LAFAYETTE — Lafayette police will soon be adding a new member to its ranks — one with four legs.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously endorsed the police chief’s proposal to get a police dog for Lafayette. The dog will be trained to sniff out out explosives, in addition to tracking down suspects.

“I am 100 percent behind it, and it will create a whole new level of public safety in this community,” said Councilman Cameron Burks. The council vote was 5-0 for the program.

Lafayette Police Chief Ben Alldritt told the council that what really prompted his push for the program was concern about potential active shooters at public events, schools and religious institutions.

Alldritt got the idea of a revived and revised police dog program after seeing Pittsburg police canines help Lafayette with its explosives detection sweep at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival in 2018. The sweep was held in the morning before the festival opened.

According to Alldritt, the dogs can be trained to detect about 25 to 27 different explosive material scents, including gunpowder, gun oils, gun residue, dynamite, nitrate-based explosives, fuses and fuse caps, and detonating cords. They can also sniff out firearms in vehicles.

A current Lafayette police officer will be chosen as the dog’s handler. The startup costs are an estimated $70,000, with about $33,000 coming from donations made to the nonprofit Lafayette Community Foundation. The remainder would come out of the city’s current budget.

Lafayette had an earlier canine police program at one time, with the dogs trained to track and catch suspects, plus sniff out narcotics. But the program was discontinued — there just aren’t that many narcotics in Lafayette, apparently.