K-9 officers in the city of LaGrange will be getting a new addition to their uniforms.
The city is buying GPS collars for their police dogs after one dog got lost this week while helping to catch a fleeing felon.
The collars cost $805 each, or about $3,200, Mayor Jim Thornton told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We think it will be a good investment,” Thornton said, considering it cost the city about $13,000 in overtime pay to search for Chico during the two days the dog went missing. that’s not counting what it cost the sheriff’s office and other jurisdictions that helped in the search, Thornton said.
“Had we had the collars, we may have saved a considerable amount of time and money,” Thornton said.
On Monday, Chico and his handler were responding to a call to search for an escaped felon who was hiding in some woods. After the man was captured, Chico didn't return to his handler.
On Wednesday afternoon, after an exhaustive search by numerous law enforcement agencies, the Belgian Malinois was found alive and well. It was the first time in the 20 years that the city has been using the K-9 officers that one had gone missing, Thornton said. He said the police department will cover the cost of the collars from the general operating budget of the department.
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