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A third K-9 could soon patrol Crescent City with Lt. Kai and Sgt. Kostya.

Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin said he’s looking to pair a new four-legged recruit with Officer Connor Sperling, who joined the force in January.

Griffin received the City Council’s blessing on Monday to seek about $7,500 in grant dollars from the AKC Reunite program and combine that money with about $2,500 in private donations from locals Dr. John Kirk and Kevin Hartwick. The police chief told Councilors that he needed another $6,700-$7,000 to purchase the new K-9.

“The current cost of a K-9 is $16,623.75. That’s the new quote I received from Brad Meyers K-9 police training, which is who we use for all of our dogs,” Griffin told Councilors. “It’s an ongoing service also. We train twice a month with them and also certify once a year as per POST guidelines. This program is very special to me in the way we are running it and the way it produces what we’re producing for the community.”

Griffin said he spoke with Kirk and Hartwick who indicated they would help cover the shortfall for the K-9 purchase. Otherwise, the chief said, he’s prepared to do some fundraisers.

City councilors and the committee overseeing how Measure S tax dollars are spent authorized the purchase of a third K-9 to join CCPD during the 2023-24 fiscal year. The police department maintains a contract with Chico-based Meyer’s Police K-9 Training LLC, which facilitated the purchase of Sgt. Kostya.

CCPD is seeking its third K-9 as Lt. Kai nears retirement. The German shepherd will be 8 years old in December and is starting to show signs of arthritis, Griffin said. Lt. Kai will likely retire in December 2024, giving CCPD about nine months with three dogs on the force, the police chief said.

According to Griffin, AKC Reunite — a nonprofit American Kennel Club affiliate — will match any amount up to $2,500 that a local affiliated club has raised.

Though it’s a small club, the Lost Coast Kennel Club in Eureka agreed to accept donations for the K-9 purchase to meet AKC’s match requirement, according to a 2021 report Griffin included in his request to the City Council on Monday. The Lost Coast Kennel Club will funnel those dollars to the law enforcement agency looking to make the K-9 purchase, according to Griffin.

Griffin said his department purchased Sgt. Kostya using an AKC Reunite grant and donations funneled through the Lost Coast Kennel Club. Sgt. Kostya was paired with School Resource Officer Daniel Sanders last year.

Lt. Kai is paired with Sgt. Anthony Lopez, who supervises CCPD’s K-9 program, Griffin said.

Griffin said his department made the decision to have Sperling paired up with its third K-9 a few months ago.

“He has the right mindset and motivation for it,” Griffin told Councilors. “Not just any officer can have a K-9 or should have a K-9.”

Though he has no intention of having the dogs work overlapping shifts, Griffin said they will train together.

CCPD is seeking another German shepherd, Griffin said. Meyer’s Police K-9 Training sources the dogs from Germany. The dog will bond with Sperling before they go to the five-week basic academy.

“They live on site there at that academy, but prior to that is a real crucial part as you’ve seen with Sgt. Kostya is that initial bonding,” Griffin said. “The dog may even ride in the patrol car for a few weeks knowing that dog’s not getting deployed until we meet a certain criteria. Then after that… it’s 16 hours minimum a month of training.”

Once Lt. Kai retires, Lopez will have an opportunity to purchase him from the city and adopt him, Griffin said.

“The dog’s part of his family,” Griffin said.

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