$40K grant gets Texas cops new K-9 unit

By Lance Rinker
Frisco Enterprise 

FRISCO, Texas — The Frisco Police Department will be creating a K9 program after receiving a private grant for $40,000 from Elevate Life Church. The grant was approved by the city council, and the department is in the beginning stages of creating policies and procedures for the program. Frisco police Sgt. Brad Merritt said the grant money will go toward funding the whole K9 unit, including purchasing the dog from a kennel, paying for the training and equipment, and retrofitting a police vehicle to accommodate the dog.

The police department has expressed a need for a K9 unit in the past but had to prioritize needs in an effort to accommodate the rate at which the city has grown. Merritt said they have had to rely on other agencies in the area to lend their K9 units when the need arose, but the donation from Elevate Life has changed all that. He also said that adding the K9 unit will have a huge impact on crime prevention and safety.

“Seeing the dog will be a deterrent. Everyone loves to see a dog, and it will give the community an awareness of safety. We now have another tool in our toolbox,” he said. “Everybody is happy about it. This is something the majority of the department has wanted for some time now. The timing worked out for us.”

Full Story: Frisco Police Department to get K9 unit