The Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce the beginning of a new K9 Program. Beginning in fall 2024 to spring 2025, we will be adding two dogs to our patrol team, who will be assigned to existing deputies as their handlers. We are adding two dogs to provide the best possible service to the citizens of the Beaverhead County Area and across Montana. Our dogs will be trained in Tracking (Criminal and Search and Rescue), Narcotics Detection, and Human Remains Detection.
In 2022/2023, Law Enforcement in Beaverhead County responded to:
71 -Assaults
7 -Assaults with firearm
27 -Break Ins
26 -Burglary
2 -Robbery
57 -Criminal Mischief
62 -Disorderly Conduct
54 -Drug Offense
217 -DUI – Alcohol/Drugs
1 -Escaped Prisoner
45 -Search and Rescue
27 -Missing Person
9 -Shooting
38 -Shots Heard
59 -Trespassing
73 -Unattended Death
85 -Wanted Person
826 -Welfare Check
10 -Probation Violation
40 -Assist Probation and Parole
In Total, Dispatch received 15,169 Calls for service in this time frame. This list only covers a small amount of our call volume where having a K9 available could prove necessary. In 2024, we are already exceeding previous call volume for many categories and are seeing an increase in drug related activity in Beaverhead County.
We are currently seeking funding for our program through grants, community support, and local government funds. We hope to make our program self sufficient through funding acquired outside of the budget of Beaverhead County to ensure the long-term success of the program.
The following is a breakdown of the estimated costs for the program:
(Costs reflect totals for entire program)
K9 Training and Handler School: $24,800
Basic Equipment (Toys, Leashes, Training tools, ect): $4,000
Continued Care: $3,000 annually
Continued Education: $600
Future K9 Replacement Vehicles: $230,000
Future K9 Replacements: $30,000
For more information about the K9 Program, please email:
Deputy Dan Fields at dfields@beaverheadsheriff.com
or
Deputy Cade Dairy at cdairy@beaverheadsheriff.com.
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