Montpelier soon to introduce a K-9 unit in the Capitol City

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - The Montpelier Police Department is in the process of introducing a K-9 unit in the Capitol City.

The department has received a 32 thousand dollar grant from the Stanton Foundation according to Chief Brian Peete. The money will cover the cost of the animal, training, and equipment for the dog. The K-9 program is in response to an alarming increase in drug overdoses and overdose deaths in Washington County.

The K-9 will be trained in sniffing out heroin, fentynal, and methamphetamines during traffic stops and other searches.

“What we’re targeting are folks who are bringing that poison into our communities, folks who are disrupting and damaging and in some cases ending lives of people who do have addiction. That’s what we’re going for. We’re going for folks who are peddling this type of poison,” Chief Brian Peete, Montpelier Police Dept.

A K-9 could be deployed with an officer after 14 weeks of training and will also be used in various search and rescue operations.

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