City may add new K-9 unit
By Bert Lehman
Charr, the dog that worked with the Clilntonville police, has left the department.
Her handler, Sgt. Chistopher Wendorf, left the department to accept a job with CN Railroad Police.
Clintonville Police Chief Craig Freitag said the job opportunity allows Wendorf to have a work schedule that works better for him and his family.
Freitag added that Wendorf left the department in “good standing.”
“Although we are happy for Sgt. Wendorf’s future with his new job, we are all sad to see him go,” Freitag told the Clintonville Tribune-Gazette. “He was a great leader and our new officers quickly formed a close bond with him. He had many tasks around the police department besides behing the K-9 officer. We will miss his calm composure he would show even in critical incidents. Chris was a friend to everyone at the police department and was well respected inside and outside of the department.
“On his last shift, Sgt. Wendorf and Charr were requested by a neighboring agency to track a subject who left their house wanting to harm themselves. After an hour and a half of family and officers looking for the person, Sgt. Wendorf and Charr were requested to locate the person who was in crisis. Charr was able to locate the person before any harm was done. For a handler and a dog that is a big high to go out on. Tracking a person who needs help, who left 1.5 hours prior, that wouldn’t have happened without Sgt. Wendorf’s hard work and training with Charr.”
Freitag added, “We are going to miss both Chris and Charr, but Chris assured us he will bring Charr to the police department to visit. They both are part of our family at the police department.”
When asked if it is normal for a canine to leave a department when the K-9’s handler leaves, Freitag said it depends on the situation. He said he discussed with Wendorf how many more years Charr would be able to serve with the department.
Even though Charr is in good health now, Freitag and Wendorf felt that she would have about three years of service left.
Costs considered
Freitag added that the department could have assigned Charr to another officer. That would have cost the department $4,000 for training, but there would have been no guarantee that Charr and the next handler would have meshed.
“Initially when a new dog is picked, the handler will spend several hours interacting with a few dogs, and the kennel assesses the handler with the dogs and suggests which dog would be best for a handler,” Freitag said. “I did not see it to be cost effective to spend $4,000 to send Charr and a new handler for training with no a guarantee it would work out great and then three years later purchasing a new dog and paying $15,000 for a new dog and training.”
Wendorf will have to pay the city $3,300 to purchase Charr.
“The city has a tiered system in place and is based on years of service the dog has been here and the percentage the handler would have to pay for the dog if they did leave,” Freitag said. “At this point he was at the 30% of purchase and that totaled $3,300. That money will go back into our K-9 fund.”
Freitag said the department does not use tax dollars for its K-9 unit.
“We have a K-9 fund in place where donations and fundraising take place to put money in the fund,” Freitag said. “Over the years we have had so much support from the community and have been generous with donations. We are planning a K-9 golf outing to raise funds for our K-9 fund. Details will be released very soon.”
Knowing the importance of a K-9 officer, Freitag said the department does plan to pursue adding another K-9 officer to the department.
“A K-9 on the department has many benefits,” he said. “They do more than alerting to illegal narcotics, they can track people who may have got lost, a fleeing suspect, article tracking. They also interact with community members at events or presentations.”
Selecting a handler is the first step, and Freitag said he hopes to find a handler internally.
Fundraising essential
“Since knowing Sgt. Wendorf was leaving, a few staff members have shown an interest in being a K-9 handler,” Freitag said. “We will have a process in place to select the new handler in the near future. The Clintonville Police Department’s K-9 fund is funded by generous donations and fundraising. Sgt. Wendorf worked hard to fundraise and secure funds for the K-9 program over the years. Once the handler has been selected, the handler will then go to the designated kennel and spend a day evaluating several dogs. The trainer will do observations throughout the day observing the handler and the prospective dogs. It’s key that the handler and the dog are a perfect fit.”
Freitag said any officer chosen to be a K-9 handler has to be comfortable in their job as a police officer.
“There is a lot of responsibility that goes along with the title of K-9 handler. It requires you to put time in when you are away from the police department, there is monthly training to attend,” Freitag said.
There is currently no timeline for when the Clintonville Police Department will secure another dog. Freitag said he would like the department to secure one this year.
In the meantime, the department will request mutual aid from neighboring departments when a K-9 officer is needed.
“We have always had great working relationships with departments who have K-9 units,” Freitag said. “We often have assisted other departments who requested our K-9 services and they assist us when ours in not working. Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office, Marion Police Department, Shawano County Sheriff’s Office, and Shawano Police Department all have K-9 units and have assisted us in the past and we have assisted their agencies.”