Local police department disbands K-9 unit for ‘officers on the street’

Miami Twp. Police Department K-9 officer Coron, shown here is this file photo, is being sold to his handler as the department’s K-9 unit is disbanding. The 8-year-old Belgian Malinois has been with the department since it started the K-9 unit in 2011. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Miami Twp. Police Department K-9 officer Coron, shown here is this file photo, is being sold to his handler as the department’s K-9 unit is disbanding. The 8-year-old Belgian Malinois has been with the department since it started the K-9 unit in 2011. JIM NOELKER/STAFF
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Jan 23, 2019
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The Miami Twp. Police Department is disbanding its K-9 unit.

The program, which started in 2011, costs more than $60,000 and is ceasing because it is “not a cost-effective tool for police department,” township records show.

Instead, the department will direct money used to fund the K-9 program toward “getting officers on the street,” said Miami Twp. Interim Administrator and Police Chief Ron Hess.

RELATED: Miami Twp. seeks tax hike to fund more police officers

The K-9 officer, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois named Coron, is reaching retirement age and the unit’s vehicle, a 2004 Ford, requires extensive maintenance, according to the township.

Coron will be sold to his longtime handler, township Officer Douglas Hensler, for $1, according to a measure approved by Miami Twp. trustees Tuesday night.

“At some time, it probably will come back,” Hess said of the K-9 unit. “They are a good tool when they’re active.”

The program will officially disband at 7 a.m. Feb. 3, records show.

RELATED: Police levy results show growing support in Miami Twp.

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Nick Blizzard is a staff writer for the Dayton Daily News. He is a graduate of Stebbins High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and its E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick is a Riverside native and has been a journalist in the Dayton area for more than 20 years.