Knox County Sheriff Daniel Weckesser told the Board of Commissioners during its April 9 meeting that his department's two new canines are being trained by Storm Dog Tactical in Sunbury, Ohio, for drug, tracking and patrol work.
The addition of these canines is part of ongoing efforts to support law enforcement operations in Knox County. The dogs will be used for various purposes including narcotics detection and patrol duties.
"One's a Dutch Shepherd, the other is a Belgian Malinois. One's going to be a single purpose drug and tracking dog. The other one's going to be a dual purpose, which is patrol tracking and narcotics," Weckesser said, according to a video recording of the meeting available online.
Weckesser also addressed staffing challenges within the Sheriff's Office. According to the video recording, he said the office is down three patrol officers and three jail employees but noted there are promising candidates in consideration. He added that similar hiring difficulties are being experienced across the state and country but expressed optimism as more candidates show interest in law enforcement careers according to the same source.
In addition to canine training and staffing updates, Weckesser provided information on facility improvements and equipment upgrades. According to the video recording, he said work on the evidence building is progressing well with security upgrades underway. Once completed, items will be moved back for categorization and organization. He also mentioned that grants have been instrumental in supporting some departmental projects as reported in the meeting.
Further updates included vehicle replacements for detectives and operational changes for Special Response Team members. Jail statistics were also shared: "88 inmates were incarcerated in the Knox County Jail on April 9, with 10 women and 78 men. The average stay for women was seven days and for men it was nine days. The per meal food cost was $1.63," Weckesser said in the video recording according to official records.
