City Council Considers Reviving K9 Program

The Olney City Council is weighing whether to revive the Olney Police Department’s K9 program following the death last year of longtime K9 handler OPD Cpl. Miranda Wright and the retirement of her partner, a Belgian Malinois named Bond.

Olney Police Officer Clayton Morris appeared at the March 24 Council meeting to provide details on efforts to bring the K9 program back. Officer Morris is currently training with a female Labrador Retriever named Oakley, which was donated to the department. Officer Morris and Oakley are working toward certification with resources available at no cost to the OPD, he said.

Officer Morris said restoring the K9 program would require expenditures for further training for Oakley, as well as funds for veterinary care, food, specialized insurance, and equipment.

The department already has a K9 vehicle in service, which had previously been outfitted for Bond. Some additional equipment and maintenance costs would be necessary to fully support the program. Mayor Rue Rogers noted that OPD Chief Dan Birbeck supports reinstating the program, and estimated that the associated costs, which include overtime for the K9 officer, would top $20,000 - an amount that was not included in the City’s fiscal year 2025 budget.

“It was a big need several years ago when Bond came on, and Bond served a great purpose,” Mayor Rogers said. “There’s a lot of pros to having a dog, but there’s also a cost, so we need to look at both sides of it.”

Chief Birbeck said his current budget can accommodate the officer’s overtime costs, bringing the additional funding needed for bringing Oakley onboard as a K9 officer to about $8,000.

The Council agreed to table the discussion until the next council meeting when Chief Birbeck could provide further details and cost estimates. Council members also said they would use the time before the next meeting to gather community input and review the financial implications of reinstating the program.