K-9 Unit a Possibility for North Canton Police Department

The North Canton Police Department could have its first-ever K-9 unit.

Maybe not this year or the next, but one day, said Police Chief Stephan Wilder.

Adding a furry member to the force was something he looked into when he became police chief in 2011. But, he had to put that on the back burner because the department was understaffed (in fact, it still has a couple positions to fill).

Now he's saying it's definitely an option in the future.

"I am looking into having a K-9 unit here; however, it's nothing that I'm committing to at this time," Wilder said. "We do have an officer that has a dog going through some training now, but it's nothing that we are committed to. It's something we'll look into here a little later."

He said the officer has taken advantage of free training offered through the Canton Police Department. The training does take place during the officer's workday, and he is not working overtime in order to attend the training.

Wilder believes the department, the city and its residents would benefit greatly from a K-9 unit.

"It would be a great resource for us on a number of things — tracking and detection," he said. "Plus, dogs just have a wonderful PR appeal with our community."

A police dog would have come in handy the night of March 5, when Thomas R. Patton III, 27, reportedly ran from police during a traffic stop. The police requested a police dog through three nearby departments, but none was available.

Patton got away that day, but he was arrested March 7 after someone phoned in an anonymous tip.

Wilder said it's not unusual for other departments' police dogs to be unavailable, or for an officer who's in charge of the dog to be unavailable.

The North Canton Police Department in the past has turned to nearby departments in Alliance, Canton, Jackson Township, Massillon and Brimfield for assistance with a K-9 unit.

In North Canton, police dogs have also been used at the April 12 fire on McKinley Avenue in which someone doused the house in a flammable liquid and set it on fire, and during drug sweeps at Hoover High School.

If the North Canton Police Department had a police dog, the department would continue to use it for drug sweeps, drug detection, tracking and even educational opportunities in North Canton schools.

Several North Canton Patch readers had shared their opinions after reading the update about Patton reportedly fleeing during his traffic stop, and many questioned why the department doesn't already have its own police dog.

Wilder said it would make sense for the department to have one.

"We have enough action here in North Canton," he said. "I think we could have good cause to have a dog available. We do have a lot of cars going through our city. And that last weekend, we had two people run from us. Having a dog available in both of those would have helped us track them."

(Interested in seeing recent crime stats for the city? Just click here.)

He believes the addition of a K-9 unit would cost the city very little. Veterinary care might be covered by in-kind services through North Canton veterinary offices, and oftentimes larger companies will cover the cost of dog food. Plus, the dog will have already gone through free training. 

Wilder reiterated that the department has not committed to bringing on a K-9 unit, but he hopes that the community and the city would embrace the idea of it.

"It might be a new chapter for us — that's a way to look at it," he said. "And if we can help out another agency that's helped us out over the years, we would do so."