TITLE
Ordinance amending the City Code at Title One: Administrative; Article III: Organization; Chapter 116 - Public Safety; by adding a new section at § 116.04 creating a care fund for post duty law enforcement canines.
BODY
Whereas, the City of Pittsburgh has long employed the use of highly trained canines (“K-9”) to assist personnel within the Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Police in all manners of public safety functions including, but not limited to, apprehension of criminal suspects, locating lost persons, detecting explosives or illicit contraband, crowd control, and enhancing community relations; and,
Whereas, the average law enforcement K-9 work life ranges from one to nine years of age, and following retirement, the K-9 usually lives with its police officer handler for the rest of its life; and,
Whereas, police officer K-9 handlers assume all costs related to the care of the law enforcement K-9 after they have been retired from active duty; and,
Whereas, the City of Pittsburgh recognizes that there are expenses incurred for the care of the retired police K-9s. As such, the City recognizes its obligation to provide for a level of care for post duty police K-9s and, that the police officer handler should not be solely required to take on the obligation to humanely care for this valuable city asset.
Be it resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The City Code is hereby amended at Title One: Administrative; Article III: Organization; Chapter 116 - Public Safety; by adding a new section at § 116.04 creating a care fund for post duty law enforcement canines.
§ 116.04 Police Canine Post Duty Care Fund
Intent of Council
It is the intent of the Council to provide for the care of the post duty police K-9. Both police K-9s and their police officer handlers provide a valuable and important function within the Bureau of Police.
The average work life of a police K-9 ran...
Click here for full text