GREENE – The Greene Police Department is the only local municipal police department to have its own K-9 unit in Chenango County. In fact, the Greene PD has two K-9 officers and three dogs – that’s more than the Sheriff’s Office or State Troopers in our area combined, each having only one dog and one officer. The reason is cost – most communities don’t have the means or desire to pay for the units.
Greene Police Chief Steven Dutcher and Senior Officer Norm Shaffer pay for the dogs out of their own pockets. Dutcher and Shaffer have volunteered their time and money for the police dogs. “We pay for everything – the dog, the food, the medical expenses, we even take time off from work with our own vacation or sick time to go to special training we also pay for,” said Dutcher.
“I love it, absolutely love it. It’s another part of the family in our household,” said Shaffer.
There are three kinds of police dogs: bomb detection dogs, drug detection dogs and protection dogs also called bite dogs. Greene currently uses two Belgian Malinois drug detection dogs and Dutcher has a German Shepherd protection dog. Their names are Mina, Larz and Ozzie, respectively. All of the dogs can detect five different kinds of drugs. Mina and Larz are the ones mainly in use.
“The kids love them. They run right up to the window and pet them; the only thing the dogs would do is lick them to death,” said Dutcher. Only on the rare dangerous occasion Dutcher does use the 80-plus pound protection dog, Ozzie. “We (Greene PD) work alone so when there is a warrant out for a dangerous criminal, or it’s a late night, I’ll bring him along,” said Dutcher.
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