Tecumseh school board approves purchase of police service dog

TECUMSEH — While some administrative details still need to be worked out, the Tecumseh Board of Education on Monday voted to buy a police service dog.

Tecumseh's service dog program will be based on the model pioneered at the Adrian Public Schools by that district's school resource officer, Joshua Perry, and his service dog, Charlie. The dog will not be aggressive, like a typical police patrol dog, but instead will be non-aggressive and can do some police dog tasks, like track a missing person or sniff out contraband, and also will be approachable and can play the role of a therapy animal for students and staff.

The board voted 7-0 to spend up to $10,000 to buy a dog, though it should cost about $6,000, Tecumseh School Resource Officer (SRO) Scott Lambka said.

There is expected to be about $15,000 a year in program costs, including handler wages for Lambka, food and veterinary bills, Lambka told the board. All of the expenses, including buying the dog, will be paid for from safety grants the district has either already received or expects to receive in the future.

Lambka will be the dog's handler.

Superintendent Rick Hilderley told the board he and Tecumseh Police Chief Brett Coker are still working out the administrative details. Lambka's schedule will be adjusted to fit the school calendar, and the SRO agreement between the schools and city will be extended 3 1/2 years. It had been set to expire in 1 1/2 years. Hilderley said Lambka has committed to staying on for those five years as SRO and to manage the service dog program.

"Without that five-year commitment in there, it's tough to get this program up and running," Lambka said.

Tecumseh school officials have expressed an interest in adding more dogs and handlers.

Lambka said some details need to be worked out with the police officers' union. He said he's written a job description and a policy on the use of the dog. He's recommended that the school district own the dog and the police department administer the program, with the district making a single payment to the city. He said the police department could provide reports to the district about his hours and how the money is being spent. He said that would be easier than trying to keep track of every receipt for expenditures on the dog.

That arrangement would allow adding dogs and handlers in the future.

The next step is for the city council to vote on the administration of the program. That agreement would then go to the school board for approval.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh school board OKs buying police service dog