The Danville Police Department recently received a $5,000 grant from the Knox County Foundation to purchase a new K-9 unit. The dog will be partnered with an officer and go through a six-week training course to detect illegal drugs, look for missing persons and items, and apprehend criminals.
“I’ve seen the good work they’ve been able to do with these K-9 units, not just in Danville, but also Mount Vernon,” said Jeffrey Scott, executive director of the Knox County Foundation. “I’m personally in favor of these efforts.”
The foundation, which distributes funds for a wide variety of needs, selected the Danville Police Departments' proposal in July when nonprofit entities in the community applied for funding for specific projects and programs. The Danville Police Department suffered a huge loss when Lasko died April 1. Lasko was the department’s first K-9 and spent his final days with Police Chief Daniel J. Weckesser.
“That you for your service, Lasko. RIP” was one of the comments left on the DPD’s Facebook page honoring his passing.
The grant money, based on the application, must be specifically used to purchase a suitable dog from a breeder and pay for the training.
“It’s a specific application process where they answer a lot of questions (and) provide a lot of background information and letter of support,” Scott said. “Ultimately, it was reviewed by the committee and passed by the board to allocate the funding for that effort.”
