Rossford OKs buying police dog, equipment

ROSSFORD -- The Rossford Police Department's newest member will have four legs and a tail.

City council decided to buy a police dog and the equipment to start a canine unit with nearly $45,000 in forfeited drug money.

The dog's main focus will be patrolling the I-75 corridor to beef up drug enforcement, Rossford Police Chief Glenn Goss said, adding, "Using the bad guys' money to catch the bad guys is pretty unique."

The dog, likely a German or Belgian shepherd, also will search the schools for drugs, track suspects, and search for missing children.

Last year, the city seized about $110,000 in stolen money or drug money.

"That's without a dog," Chief Goss said, adding he expects the city to collect at least double that once the dog is trained and ready to work starting around May.

"I think the program will pay for itself," the new police chief told the council during the Feb. 13 meeting.

Money in the drug forfeiture fund can be spent only on training, equipment, or other items related to drug enforcement, the chief said.

But some councilmen expressed concern that the Rossford officer assigned to work with the animal lives in North Baltimore, more than 30 miles away, which they feared would slow the dog's response time when off-duty or put wear on the officer's new sport utility vehicle.

Councilman Caroline Eckel argued the dog is like a city snowplow; the animal should be parked close to the city. Said Councilman Greg Marquette, "If I make an investment, I want to make sure that investment is working for me. … The dog is the city's property."

Councilman Chuck Duricek said he was concerned about losing police patrols on the local streets. "Who cares what's happening on I-75? I care what's in my backyard."

Others asked why Rossford isn't working with Perrysburg Township, which is moving to buy a police dog.

Perrysburg Township police plan to buy and train a dog for about $14,000. The last police dog retired a few years ago and the township decided to restart the program with donations and money from its drug forfeiture fund, Chief Mark Hetrick said.

In Rossford, at the urging of Chief Goss and Mayor Neil MacKinnon III, the council voted to spend $12,750 on the canine and a handler, as well as up to $27,033 for a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD outfitted for the dog. The dog needs a $4,500 cage, officials said.

"This is not coming out of our general fund. It's a tool that makes us safer and makes us better," the mayor told council.

The council voted to seek a state grant for a feasibility study on 911 regional dispatch for Rossford, Lake Township, Northwood, and Walbridge.

Lake Township dispatches for itself as well as Rossford and Walbridge while Northwood does its dispatching.

It's not the first time Wood County municipalities have looked into government consolidation. Along with Perrysburg Township, the four police departments plus police departments for Owens Community College and CSX Transportation Corp. are uniting to start a Wood County SWAT team as early as June.