GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Police Department’s K-9 program has received a $20,000 grant.
The grant, awarded by the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation, will go toward training K-9 teams and purchasing special equipment, according to GRPD.
“A significant investment is being made here,” says Sgt. Timothy Hoornstra. “Not only are these dogs the responsibility of their handlers while at work but these dogs are taken home at the end of the shift where they transition into members of the handler’s family. We ask a lot of our K-9 Teams.”
We’re told a K-9 team can cost upwards of $80,000 across the six to eight years that a K-9 is employed. Much of the cost comes from equipment expenses, food, training and a police vehicle specially designed for K-9 units. The GRPD says little of that cost comes from taxpayer dollars and is mostly funded by the Grand Rapids Police Foundation.
