East Central Iowa News

The Oskaloosa City Council heard a request from police Lt. Jonathan Plumb, who sought permission to get the needed training for his German Shepherd, Rocky, to become the city's second K-9 unit.

Plumb, who was celebrating 29 years as a city employee, spoke during the Council's Jan. 3 meeting, in which he explained that from both his personal and professional experience, adding another K-9 would be beneficial to the department.

"With dogs being present, it helps with preventing lots of things," said Plumb, who previously spent seven years working with a K-9 partner. "There's a lot of people that I’ve worked with over the years who have said, 'I would've fought the police in a second, but when you got that dog out, (there’s no way) I’m going to do it.' So that is one thing, just the mere presence (of a dog) seems to help."

Plumb also noted that since the K-9s currently on the force work during the night shift, they aren't available during the day.

He said the use of a K-9 also helps with the public in terms of relations and engagement, noting that kids "love to have police dogs around," especially at outreach programs or events where officers do presentations for kids. He also noted that the presence of a K-9 can keep people honest.

"When they know you've got a certified narcotics dog, they seem to become more honest when they actually see the dog itself," he said at the city council meeting.

Plumb already has a city vehicle, he said, and a local veterinary office offered to donate its time to provide Rocky's care, so the annual cost for his training and addition to the force would be around $1,000, he said. The city thanked him for his service and showed its support for the idea.