ALTON, Ill. — The community showed tremendous support for an Alton Police officer in recovery and his K-9 partner, who lost his life during a shootout with a suspect.
The tragedy was difficult for Alton resident Shellyn Brown who has her own 8-year-old German Shepherd.
"It just made me think of how I would feel if that happened to my dog. I would want him to be protected as well as possible if he had to go into those types of situations," she said.
Brown worries about dogs in this line of work.
"I'm hearing a shooting every other week or so. Same areas of the town. So I just think these dogs should be a little bit more protected than they are. it's not in the funding I guess because they are not humans I read."
Many police departments do not have a budget for K-9s because they are considered specialty units, so they rely on public or corporate donations. The dogs alone can cost between $15,000 and $45,000, according to the National Police Dog Foundation.
Other funds are used for resources like protective vests.
"Technically this is our first officer that we've lost in a long time. Even though it was a canine, they are a part of the team," said Mayor David Goins who confirmed Odin was wearing one of those vests when he got hurt.
Goins, a former police officer himself, was proud to see how the community is rallying around the animals to make sure they get that support.
Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford acknowledged the many contacts, deliveries, and donations from the community on Facebook.
"The outpouring of support I think is relative to the fact that this was a law enforcement team member that people look up on," Goins said.
"They put a lot of money and effort into training these dogs just for this careless act. For them to be taken away so quickly. It really bothers me" Brown added.
Ways to Donate:
- Write a check made payable to the Alton Police Department K-9 Program.
- The second way to donate is through MustacheMarch4PD (MM4PD). "We have partnered with them as they have agreed to collect donations via their Venmo (@MM4PD) and Paypal (@MM4PD) accounts and provide them to the K-9 program."
The chief noted that all donations go towards funding the various expenses associated with the K-9 program such as purchasing a new dog, vests, training, etc.