Police ask for canine

REDKEY — Police want a canine.

Redkey Town Council heard a request Thursday from police officer Zach Moser to add a police dog to the force.

Council also agreed to enter into an agreement with Jay County, Portland and Pennville for use of public safety software system Spillman.

Moser started working for Redkey earlier this month. A United States Marine Corps veteran of four years, he previously trained a police dog specializing in explosives. (The dog, now retired, lives with him.) Moser said he would like to train and handle a canine specializing in narcotics apprehension and tracking. Because of his military service and the GI Bill of Rights, Moser added, the $20,300 training would be covered. (He proposed a six-week training at American K-9 Interdiction of Carrsville, Virginia, where he trained with this last canine.) Moser said he would like to raise the roughly $3,249.95 needed to accommodate the department’s Dodge Durango for a canine.

He asked the town to pay for a canine’s addition to the insurance plan, or $563 extra annually.

“I believe that having a canine on the department and for this town would be extremely beneficial,” he said. “The amount of narcotics that canines take off the streets that otherwise would never be found is astounding.”

Moser noted the only department in Jay County to currently have a trained canine is Portland Police Department. He confirmed he would attend Indiana Law Enforcement Academy before training a police dog, and he asked council to consider giving him the OK.

Council president Erik Hammers and council member Gary Gardner both voiced a desire to speak with Barnum-Brown Insurance about the town’s coverage before approving the proposal. Attorney Wes Schemenaur said he has a few legal questions as well, specifically in relation to who would own the dog. Moser said he has leased animals to the departments he has worked for in past years, a move that he said should be covered within the town’s insurance.

Council agreed to look into the matter.

It also approved an inter-local agreement relating to the Spillman system for police.

For about nine years, explained Schemenaur, local municipalities and the county have shared the cost of the system. Jay County and Portland have been discussing changes to the past agreement in order to more equally divide the cost.

Redkey’s portion for the five-year contract with Spillman comes out to $5,854.15, or about $1,200 annually. Clerk-treasurer Mary Eley noted that amount is down $300 from last year’s total.

“You can’t effectively police without it,” noted Moser, explaining how the system links with Jay County Sheriff’s Office to make information about traffic stops and other events easy to share among departments.

Town Marshal Kyle Denney shared a few quotes for used vehicles, suggesting council look into purchasing a new police car. Hammers reminded Denney the town is on a tight budget, with town employee Randy Young adding other departments also are in need of vehicles.

Also Thursday, Young noted Indiana Department of Environmental Management sent another notice to the town about its failure to meet a Nov. 30 deadline to remove two combined sewer overflows (CSOs), having audited the town in May. One CSO originates in a rural area and lets out into Redkey Run, and the other starts near Union Street.

In April, Redkey applied for a planning grant from Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) in hopes of securing $81,000 for a master utility study. It marked the town’s second time applying for the grant this year. If the funding is secured, Choice One Engineering will inspect Redkey’s water, wastewater and stormwater utilities and put together a plan for tackling utility issues. The town will pay a $9,000 match. Hopes were to address the CFOs in the master utility study.

Eley noted she has not yet heard back about the grant. Redkey has less than six months before IDEM begins fining the town for the violation, Young reminded council.

Duane Herman, owner of Val’s Bar and Grill, pointed out Farmland American Legion will be hosting a benefit ride and other activities on Saturday in honor of the families of Farmland assistant fire chief Kyle Osgood and firefighter Zach Lee. Osgood died and Lee was seriously injured when the firetruck they were in went off the road and flipped while they were responding to a barn fire call last month. Riders will be passing through Redkey. Herman asked to close off two blocks on Main Street — one block east and one block west of Indiana 1 — during the event Saturday. Council approved the closure.

In other business, council members Floyd Life, Gardner and Hammers, absent Chance Retter and John Pierce:

•Were reminded about Redkey Fire Department’s truck and tractor pull starting at 7 p.m. Saturday

•Learned Redkey will have its 2024 budget hearing at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21, with adoption of the budget slated for 6 p.m. Oct. 19

•Appointed Gardner to the East Central Indiana Regional Partnership board and Hammers to Redkey’s American Rescue Plan Act funding committee

•OK’d Eley to purchase a new printer for Redkey Town Hall from Perry proTECH for $2,051.25

•Made $1,346.32 in water bill adjustments

•Paid $98,964.64 in claims