According to today’s article in the Reading Eagle, the Berks County Community Foundation is seeking to take back equipment bought with money the foundation donated to Reading’s K-9 Unit.
Kevin Murphy, president of the foundation said he had asked the city for an accounting of the donation but didn’t receive it…..so he now has taken his case to court………This will be followed by a second motion to order the city to give up the equipment. The foundation donated $360,000 to the Reading K-9 unit for this equipment. This money was not used to pay for the dogs according to the article.
And right now, the FOP and the city are at odds over the Reading K-9 Unit. As you are aware (or maybe not), the FOP says the next three new K-9 officers should be chosen through seniority alone. The first three K-9 officers were not chosen by seniority.
The action brought about by the foundation seems to be forcing these two entities to come to some form of reconciliation, at least I hope it does.
According to Kevin Murphy, president of the foundation, “Our first and highest responsibility is to make sure those assets are used for the purpose they were designated for.” And they were designated for the city’s Reading K-9 Unit that people worked so hard to get re-established after a four year hiatus.
I know the two people, Paulette Williams and Keith Claytor, who have worked so diligently to get the Rdg. K-9 unit re-established. They perservered because it meant so much to both of them. Each had his/her own reason but together they have done one hell of a job.
While the FOP and the city try to decide how to determine what happens, a huge sum of money could be taken away from the Rdg. K-9 Unit. Do they really want to see that happen?
Why can’t they come to a resolution after all of this time? What is the hold-up? Seniority does not seem to be the correct choice in this matter to choose K-9 Officers. Seniority does not mean someone is qualified to handle a K-9 dog.
These are not your typical pets. They are trained police officers and have to be treated with respect just like any police officer. That dog will take a bullet for his partner. The officer and the dog are trained together, live together and work together.
The police department needs people who not only understand this philosophy but are willing to put in all of the work required to take on this responsibility. Someone with seniority could retire in the next few years, then what happens to the dog? That dog will go live with the retired officer. Makes no sense to me.
Seniority does not always equal a qualified K-9 police officer. It boils down to common sense.
Come on people, let’s get this resolved. It’s time to do the right thing. The newest members of the Rdg. K-9 Unit need to be out on the streets helping to protect the citizens of Reading from the criminals. The dogs are waiting to be trained with the newest officers. The city needs these dogs – NOW!!