Dog days donation aids canine campaign

Source: The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.迷你倉庫Aug. 20--ALTON -- The county's top law enforcement official and Alton's mayor came through Monday with their promises to match money that city police have raised to buy a second canine."I'm honored to be one of the many people who have stepped forward to support the department and its canine program," Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons said.Gibbons provided a $1,000 check at a brief news conference in the courtroom in the Donald E. Sandidge Alton Law Enforcement Center, 1700 E. Broadway. The money is from seized drug funds."I'm happy to join all the other generous donors," he said. "I would like to commend the mayor, chief, detective (Marcos) Pulido and officer (Pfc. Emily) Hejna for putting this out here."Gibbons said canines are a "phenomenal help to our community," noting that the money he donated for the dog is derived from drug dealers, and the money is being turned "around against them."Alton Mayor Brant Walker, in turn, donated $500 of his own money toward the K9 cause, as he also promised, bringing the total raised to $10,000."We're really starting to get some traction, thanks to Tom Gibbons," Walker said. "We're just getting this under way. It's amazing how the community has pulled together to help our police department. I want to thank everybody."The men made the promises once Hejna and Pulido raised those respective amounts of money toward the canine effort.Gibbons' donation is from the State's Attorney's Office's federal drug asset forfeiture funds. The money, coming from cash and assets seized from drug traffickers, can be used to fund a variety of law enforcement tools, such as police training, equipment, canine enforcement and expert witness fees, State's Attorney's Office spokeswoman Stephanee Smith said.Alton Police Chief Jake Simmons called Gibbons "a staunch supporter of all the canine programs in the county," thanking him for the donation.Pulido said he is not used to asking people for money."This whole experience has been completely humbling; this has been a career goal of mine," he said about being a canine officer. "The community has come together儲存 This is creating a bridge with positive interactions with people. We are short of our goal, but we are getting there. This is an example of people coming together for a good, common cause."The goal is to bring in a minimum of $15,000 by Dec. 1, in order for Pulido and the future canine to begin training in February. The Alton Police Department department only has one dog, Kenzo the German shepherd, but it has four work shifts. The department had three canines last year.Last year, one of APD's dogs had to be euthanized, and the other canine was retired. A line item to buy a second dog in the city's fiscal year 2013-2014 budget was eliminated this spring.Any money that Hejna and Pulido raise over $15,000 will go toward canine-related equipment, such as a bullet- and knife-proof vest. The next dog will use leashes and other equipment from previous APD canines.So far, the officers have requested money only via a public letter-writing campaign, social media and mass media coverage, and no special events. Authorities said Monday that a benefit golf tournament and classes of schoolchildren competing to raise money toward the dog are in the works, but those plans are not finalized.Information on those efforts would be released later.Besides the State's Attorney's Office and Walker, other significant donors so far are: Pope Animal Hospital, $2,000; Barry and Gaye Julian, $2,000; Woodman Collision Center Inc., $1,000; Atlantis Pools, $1,000; and someone who wants to remain anonymous, other than being referred to as a "local resident and a Christian," with another $1,000.For each donation of $1,000, a person can submit a name suggestion for the dog. Later, those donors will get to vote from among the top choices that police select, one vote per $1,000 donation.People can mail checks to: Alton Police K9 Fund, 1700 E. Broadway, Alton IL 62002; or donate online with a credit card or via PayPal, with a link posted on APD's website (.altonpolice.com).lweller@thetelegraph.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.) Visit The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.) at .thetelegraph.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉