Village leaders vote to sell Ohio police K9 after handler leaves; Community believes its retaliation
Community members in an Ohio village are frustrated after leaders decided to sell one of the department's police K9s.
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The Village of Batavia council approved a contract to sell K9 Drees for $1,500 on March 9.
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Some people said they are suspicious of the recent decision.
Former Batavia Police Chief Mike Gardner told WCPO-9 TV that this started when Dree's handler told the department he was going to take a new job.
Drees current handler is Officer Chris Whitaker, according to the Village of Batavia's website.
Gardner believes that village leaders are upset with Whitaker's decision, so they decided to take the 9-year-old dog away and sell it.
'In my opinion, it's nothing except retaliation because he's leaving,' Gardner told WCPO-9.
Whitaker has been with the Batavia Police Department for eight years, and he's been the K9′s handler for four years, according to Gardner.
WCPO-9 TV reports that Gander was the police chief when the K9 program started in 2015. He said Drees was funded from donations and drug fund money.
'The taxpayers are losing nothing by this dog leaving,' Gardner said.
Some of the frustration comes from the Ohio law that allows handlers to buy their K9 partner for $1 when they retire. Village leaders believe Drees still has two years left.
'A law enforcement officer who leaves an equine or canine unit of a law enforcement agency while the police dog or horse assigned to the officer is still fit for duty forfeits the right to purchase the animal under this section,' section D of the law reads.
Gardner told WCPO-9 that he believes the council is lying about how long Drees can serve.
Drees is trained to detect marijuana, and many K-9s across the state retired after it was legalized, WCPO-9 reported.
'Their own contract that they wrote says he's untrainable for a third handler, which is not good for the dog either,' Gardner said.
Gardner said Whitaker isn't taking Drees to work at another department.
Sources told our media partners WCPO-9 that Whitaker was able to purchase Drees due to an anonymous donation.
The Village of Batavia received several donations from community members who wanted to help Whitaker purchase Drees.
They released a statement on March 18 saying the funds would be donated to the Matt Haverkamp Foundation.
'The Village of Batavia is pleased to announce funds received in relation to the Village taking its canine officer out of service will be donated to The Matt Haverkamp Foundation, supporting the training and development of future K-9 officers.
This decision reaffirms Batavia's commitment to public safety and law enforcement initiatives. According to Mayor C. Scott Runck, the Village's intention has always been to contribute these funds to this outstanding foundation, which has played a vital role in equipping law enforcement agencies throughout the region with highly trained K-9 units.
'We are proud to support The Matt Haverkamp Foundation and its mission to provide trained canine officers to communities in need,' said Mayor Runck. 'This donation reflects our steadfast commitment to public safety and ensures that future K-9 officers can continue to serve and protect.'
The Matt Haverkamp Foundation, established in memory of Officer Matt Haverkamp, has been instrumental in funding police K-9 programs across the region, enhancing law enforcement efforts and community safety. The Village of Batavia recognizes the invaluable work of the foundation and is honored to contribute to its ongoing success.'
Village of Batavia spokesperson
Gardner told WCPO-9 that he doesn't believe the donation was made in good faith.
'Damage control, absolutely damage control,' he said.
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