NKY fund launches to sustain K9 programs after seizure money dries up

Kenton County law enforcement K9 programs have a new funding source after drug-seizure money used to replace police dogs ran out.

Horizon Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky launched the KY K9 Fund to pay for the purchase, training, equipment and ongoing care of K9s serving in law enforcement and the criminal justice system, the NKY Tribune reported Tuesday, Oct. 27.

The fund addresses a problem that surfaced after Kentucky legalized medical marijuana. Dogs trained to detect marijuana cannot tell the difference between legally authorized and illegally possessed marijuana, according to the Tribune. That left agencies no longer reliable for searches to replace K9 teams whose drug-detection work was no longer reliable for searches.

Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders responded by purchasing six new K9s for area police departments using funds seized from drug dealers, the Tribune reported. Those seizure funds are now exhausted, and the KY K9 Fund picks up where that money left off.

The fund will cover training, equipment and program upkeep for active-duty dogs. It will also help pay for the care of retired K9s so handlers are not left shouldering those costs alone. Beneficiaries span a range of specialties: police K9s, bomb detection, electronic device detection, search and rescue, and courthouse facility teams, according to the fund's page on Horizon Community Foundation's website.

Specialist Michael V. Lusardi, a Covington Police K9 handler and KY K9 Advisory Board member, said in a statement that the fund will help ensure the community has top K9 officers across Kentucky.

Nancy Grayson, president and CEO of Horizon Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky, said in a statement that the fund gives the community a way to support K9 teams and their handlers regardless of government budget pressures. She called it an opportunity to help ensure the teams can continue their work.

The Tribune's coverage included a photo of Sanders alongside Fort Mitchell's K9 Gunny, tying the new fund directly to a local department. The article did not specify which police departments received the six K9s Sanders purchased with seizure funds.

Residents interested in contributing to the KY K9 Fund can find details on Horizon Community Foundation's website. The fund accepts charitable donations to support both active and retired K9 programs statewide.