PLAINFIELD — The Plainfield Police Department gained a K9 officer this week with their adoption of Echo from the Hendricks County Animal Shelter.
Echo, a Belgian Malinois, just the department after the training of officer Rob Prichard, who went to a 10-week program that certifies an officer to identify and evaluate potential shelter dogs that would be good candidates to become police K9s.
Prichard is now able to to train Echo and train his new handler, officer TJ Peters.
“We are excited to welcome Echo, a Belgian Malinois, to our department through our new K9 Rescue Initiative,” said Chief of Police, Kyle Prewitt. “It means that much more considering we typically spend $10,000 to $15,000 per dog. With this new initiative, we will not only save taxpayer dollars, but we are also rescuing these dogs from an uncertain future at the shelter.”
“This all started with some research by Officer Prichard and providing a presentation to our administration on his vision for the future. His love and compassion for dogs coupled with a strong relationship with the Hendricks County Animal Shelter also contributed to making this happen,” said Deputy Chief Joe Aldridge.
The mission of the PPD Canine Section is to provide a trained police canine to assist in the prevention and detection of crimes, locating persons and evidence sought by the police, the promotion of a favorable public image of the police department, and working to better the lives of these shelter dogs.
