CPD 2-2-18
Sometimes it pays to participate in an “enter to win” text campaign. In October 2017, at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in Philadelphia, Penn., Chief Brian Kozak entered a drawing to be awarded a police K9. Several weeks later, the Cheyenne Police Department learned it had won the drawing and will receive a $20,000 grant for the procurement and related expenses of a police K9.
The grant is funded by Tyler Technologies through the Sean M. Walsh K-9 Memorial Foundation (“Sean’s K-9s”), which honors the memory of SPC Sean M. Walsh, who was killed in action in Afghanistan while serving with the California National Guard in 2011. Sean aspired to be a police K9 handler. Since 2012, Sean’s K9s assists police department in acquiring police K9s, and has provided 24 grants and counting, 19 of those grants providing K9s.
Tyler Technologies dedicated $20,000 to cover the purchase of the dog, food, veterinarian fees, bullet-proof vests and equipment costs, as well as narcotics training and the costs of a basic K9 handler course. Tyler Technologies is a leading provider of software and services for local governments. It provides public safety solutions, including its New World™ public safety computer aided dispatch (CAD), mobile, records, and corrections solutions, which are used by CPD officers to respond to calls for service, write reports and facilitate jail management.
The CPD has two police K9s who are anticipated to retire in spring of 2019, and this grant provides for the replacement of one of these valuable members of the department. The CPD will provide updates on the process as the dog is selected and undergoes training. Police K9s assist the CPD by scenting drugs, locating evidence, tracking and locating missing people, and in the apprehension of suspects.