Sanford Police Awarded Grant for K9 Unit

By Zendelle Bouchard

The Sanford Police Department has been awarded a $52,000 grant to add a multi-use patrol dog to the force. Deputy Chief Eric Small told the City Council’s Public Safety Subcommittee on Sept. 10 that Detective Kyle Cutler found the grant opportunity from the Stanton K9 Foundation which will cover the cost of the dog, training for an officer, conversion of a patrol vehicle and kennel, equipment, dog food and vet expenses for three years. The only cost to the city would be four hours a week of overtime for an officer to care for the dog.

SPD’s K9 would serve multiple functions including drug detection and tracking. Currently, when Sanford officers need a K9 for these purposes, they have to request assistance from York, North Berwick or Wells.

This will not be the first time Sanford has had a K9 unit. Mayor Becky Brink recalled when she was principal at Sanford Middle School in the 1990s, drug-sniffing dogs were very useful in finding illegal substances in students’ lockers. In 2022, the SPD acquired Winston, a mixed-breed puppy, with plans to train him to be a comfort dog for the department. After he failed to meet training standards, he retired to spend the rest of his life as a cherished pet. Small said officers then asked for a patrol dog instead.

During the discussion, Councilor Jonathan Martell expressed concern about false positives with drug detection dogs. Cutler, who has K9 experience with the Biddeford PD, said dogs are trained to alert only to drugs and not to alert to other common items including food and tennis balls.

The City Council will vote on accepting the grant at a future meeting. If they accept it, the dog will attend Maine State Police K9 school in March 2025, and drug detection training next fall.