Marathon County sheriffs office outlines self-funded K-9 program, seeks community training partners

Lieutenant Troy Dylor, Marathon County Sheriffs Office, told the Public Safety Committee on Sept. 9 that the countys K-9 program began in 2013 and is funded entirely through donations and local fundraising rather than county tax levy dollars. "The canine program was started in 2013," Dylor said, adding the program relies on a calendar raffle and other fundraising and receives administrative help from the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin.

The presentation described operational capabilities and community engagement. Deputy Hoffman, a Marathon County K-9 handler, said his dog Blue is trained for narcotics detection, suspect apprehension and tracking and that the unit conducts regular deployments and recertification. "In that time, we've had over a 100 deployments within the Marathon County area," Deputy Hoffman said, noting Blue will be 4 in November and that handlers train twice a month and recertify annually.

Speakers emphasized the county units reliance on public donations and local foundations. Lieutenant Dylor cited a Norman Bradfish Foundation endowment that supports agencies seeking a dog and said some community members have purchased dogs outright for departments. Dylor asked the committee to continue public support and to help identify local sites where the dogs can train in exchange for public demonstrations; he described a prior arrangement in which a local pizza restaurant allowed the unit to train on site in return for a demo at a community event.

Committee members asked about program costs and capabilities. Deputy Hoffman said the combined cost to procure and train a dog and handler is about $18,000. He described the dog as a dual-purpose German shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix trained for narcotics detection, article searches and tracking, adding that the dogs seldom need to physically apprehend a suspect because their presence often leads to surrender.

The committee thanked the presenters and no formal action was taken; the presentation was informational and intended to increase committee awareness and encourage community outreach and training partnerships.