Cops and Canines 2007 by Stormy on August 26, 2007
An unsung hero of many police forces is the dog. Fast, strong, loyal and the owner of a good nose, the dog has been an innovation to crime fighting like no other.
Like many other police departments, Aurora Police uses dogs to assist them with apprehending criminals, finding narcotics and identifying bombs. Dogs are hard workers, finding a reward in a job well done. There's nothing like hearing "good boy!" after you had a long run, tackled somebody and latched on to them until your lumbering two-legged partner caught up and made you stop playing.
Dogs make great cops. The downside is that getting, equipping and training them costs a lot of money. Over a decade ago the Aurora Police Department, in conjunction with the Aurora Citizens' Police Academy Alumni Association, devised a plan to hold a fundraiser to support this valuable program. The price of a good police dog alone is on the order of $5,000 and that's the least of the expenses incurred to develop a valuable member of the police force. Each year a restaurant in Aurora hosts Cops and Canines, a day long event where police dogs demonstrate what they do best and the spectators do what the average American does best -- eat! 25% of the receipts, tips and all proceeds from an auction and regular donations go to assist with the city's K-9 program. For the life of this program, every single dog obtained by Aurora Police has been a product of this program.
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