By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
One of the newest members of the Whitewater Police Department in 2014 could be a different species.
The city’s law enforcement agency is in the process of raising funds to have a K9, specifically trained in drug detection, in the department fold within the next year. As proposed, the dog would be assigned to a handler within the department’s sworn force and would be out on patrols.
Police Chief Lisa Otterbacher provided an update on the proposal at a Nov. 6 meeting of the Police and Fire Commission.
Otterbacher said one of the goals behind the initiative is to curb the presence of drugs within the community – particularly an influx of such highly dangerous drugs as heroin, crack cocaine and steroids.
Otterbacher said there has been “a slight increase” in the drugs within the community, compared to prior years.
The mere presence of heroin was a concern to commissioners, particularly since published reports have indicated recent shipments have been more harmful than normal. Heroin has been deemed highly addictive. A user is 75 percent likely to be hooked on the drug after one use, and the possibility of a fatality after even one dose is high.
Otterbacher said the presence of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater within the community presents unique challenges.
“Half of our population is new to this community each year,” she said. “Tying that educational component of no tolerance is a new adventure for us every year.”
Having a drug-sniffing K9 on the force could heighten public awareness of the importance of Whitewater’s no-tolerance policy, Otterbacher said.
“It’s a very public, outward statement that drugs aren’t allowed in this community,” she said.
Read the full story in the Nov. 14 issue of the Whitewater Register.
