Reprinted from The Connecticut Post © Copyright 2010
January 13, 2010

By Susan Silvers

TRUMBULL -- After recent scares about explosives at Trumbull High School and concerns about crowd control at the Westfield Trumbull mall, First Selectman Timothy M. Herbst knows he wants an addition to the Trumbull Police Department that can really sniff out a crime.

And Tuesday he told the Police Commission to get just that by adding a canine unit to the department just as soon as it can.

"I want to make sure the police have the resources they need to mitigate any kind of emergency," he declared. Noting that in recent months Trumbull has called in dogs from the state and Bridgeport. "I don't want to lose valuable time waiting," he explained.

Police officials praised Herbst for pledging ongoing financial support for the budget.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," said commission Chairman Lino Constantini. He said though some residents had hounded the commission in the past to establish the special unit, it hadn't been able to because there weren't sufficient funds in the budget.

"We were never opposed to it," Chief Thomas Kiely added. "It's a valuable tool."

State Police brought one of their canines to Trumbull High Nov. 18 after a threatening note was found and Bridgeport cops brought canine support to the mall after a crush of teenagers converged on the mall the night after Christmas.

Kiely estimated the proposal could cost upwards of $60,000 a year. He said one police car must be dedicated to the canine, whose human partner gets to take it home. That officer will undoubtedly get overtime when the team is called out, in addition to the normal costs to care for the canine, such as food and medical expenses. When Trumbull last looked at getting one, however, other estimates said it doesn't necessarily cost so much.

Herbst predicted the plan won't take too big a bite out of the town budget thanks to conservation in areas other than emergency services, which he has ordered pared 2 percent below current levels for the fiscal year that starts in July. Besides, he said the town can save on the cost of outfitting the car, since it has its own auto body shop.

"I firmly believe it's money well spent and we're gonna get it done," he said.

Not just any dog, Herbst said the newcomer would be chosen and trained by state police. "They'll recommend a dog to us," he said. Herbst said he would also confer with other communities that have regional malls to see what types of pooches they think best.

He said the process would take some months.

There was plenty of growling in 2008 when the department refused an offer from local resident Carol Hudak to donate a dog on grounds it couldn't cope with the additional costs. The department also refused to link up with the Connecticut Canine Search and Rescue team for such purposes as locating missing persons and cadaver recovery.