The Larksville Borough Police Department is in the early stages of creating its first canine unit. The cost of the dog, along with training for the canine officer is $12,500.00. Alan Finn owner of Designing Dogs in Old Forge, is a canine behavioral specialist who will be providing training for the dog and the officer. The training begins at the earliest stages of the dog’s life. Once the trainer feels the dog has reached the appropriate stage, Officer Joshua Evans will begin his training with the dog. Both Evans and the dog will then undergo intense training together until both are prepared to begin their work together as a K-9 team.
Recently, a long time resident of Larksville approached Mayor Joseph Zawadski with the idea of starting a canine unit. Donna Michak made an initial donation of $3,500.00 to get this project off and running. Since then, the decision has been made to move forward with the fundraising portion of the program. We are asking for any donations; all of which will be used to fund the initial costs for our new canine unit.
The canine will be trained in search and rescue, tracking for illegal narcotics, explosives tracking, and basic police canine skills. Given the geographical make up of Larksville Borough, a canine unit will be a valuable resource in the event of a missing person, in the remote wooded areas of the borough. With the recent addition of the new Wyoming Valley West State Street Elementary School, a canine unit will also become an essential part in creating a more secure environment for its students. With these skills and services, combined with the ability to have a proactive role in fighting the flow of illegal narcotics into our community, a canine unit will play an integral role in providing public safety in Larksville Borough.
The implementation of a canine unit will give our department the ability to provide a safer Larksville Borough. Our department also intends to share this valuable new resource with neighboring police departments. By cooperating with Edwardsville, Plymouth, and other surrounding communities, this resource will benefit residents throughout the West Side.
In the coming weeks, the Larksville Borough Police Department will be conducting different types of fundraising events to help with start-up costs. We will be using Facebook as a primary means of communicating when and where these events will take place. A public meeting will also be held where the canine trainer will demonstrate exactly what capabilities a fully trained dog will provide to our department.
A weekly update on the fundraising status will be posted on this page. We appreciate any support given to our program.