The will be getting a new four-legged member of its force after town board members agreed on Tuesday to spend $10,000 to purchase a new police dog.
The department – Caesar, a member of the for the last six years, earlier this month after he suffered from kidney failure. Police officer Jason Swart trained and cared for that police dog.
"It's a tool for us to use," Yorktown Police Chief Daniel McMahon said of the police dogs. "When you need them, they're invaluable."
The department has had a K-9 program since 1975 and was one of the first departments in the area to do so. Each of the two dogs is trained for patrols and being partners to the police officers, McMahon said. But they're also trained differently – one is used to locate drugs, and the other one – to locate missing persons.
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"It's priceless," councilman Terrence Murphy said in support of funding for a new dog. "It's worth it."
McMahon said the police dogs are an expense to them, but the department has had "very, very good service." The money to pay for the new police dog will come out of the police department's $9 million budget.
The board will officially authorize the funding for the new police dog at their June 5 meeting.
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