SHAMOKIN, Pa. — Khan is an 11-month-old German shepherd puppy that will soon be the newest member of the Shamokin Police Department. Khan belongs to Officer Alexis Temple, who noticed how alert and well-behaved he was from an early age.
Temple thought Khan would make a good K-9 officer, so she brought that up to Shamokin Mayor Richard Ulrich.
"The mayor just ran with it. He said it would be a great idea. He introduced the idea to our city council, and they're approving it, so now we're actually at the fundraising stage," said Officer Temple.
But having a K-9 unit is expensive. The police department will need a new vehicle, and Khan must be trained. The Shamokin Police Department and the city's Crimewatch are raising money. The goal is at least $20,000.
"We made t-shirts. We have car decals, and the Crimewatch is doing lots of partnerships with restaurants in the area."
Shamokin Police Chief Ray Siko says Khan will be a great asset to the department.
"That's going to put an additional resource on the streets of Shamokin for us," said Chief Siko. "We're probably going to look at narcotics training, and also tracking is a definite. The second part, as far as a patrol-certified canine, we'll look at that."
"We all know how drugs have gotten out of control and the way things are. Khan will be an asset," Mayor Ulrich added.
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