Waite Park Hopes to Restart K-9 Program By This Summer

WAITE PARK -- The Waite Park police department is ready to clear its biggest hurdle when it comes to re-establishing their K-9 program.

During Monday's city council meeting, the council will look to approve the purchase of a new police dog.

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Police Chief Dave Bentrud says with the help of grant funding and community fundraising they have raised over $27,500 and feel they are well positioned to moved forward with the purchase.

Roughly $15,000 of those funds will go toward the purchase of the dog and the necessary training. The remaining funds will help cover other expenses such as food and veterinary expenses.

If approved, the hope would be to have the new K9 team patrolling the streets by this summer.

Waite Park has had a long history of a successful K-9 program dating back to 1986. In 2019, Waite Park put a pause in their K-9 program due to staffing shortages and budget constraints and donated their police dog to St. Cloud.