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Jeannette Police K-9 Unit Disbanded

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UPDATE (July 26): Sergeant James Phillips released a statement Friday via his wife’s Facebook page about the end of Jeannette’s Canine Unit. He wrote, in part, “Being a Canine Unit officer in any department requires great sacrifice. This sacrifice is not only made by the handler, but (more importantly) by their family and friends. The countless hours of training, preparation and care required to keep the Canine Unit functioning optimally become part of the officer’s daily life.” He went on to thank the community for participating in the program, including through fundraising. “This connected community shared the same common goal: to feel safe and to equip their police department with the proper tools to do their job at the highest level!” he said. Phillips thanked Jeannette for her support during the decade the Canine Unit was in operation. ORIGINAL STORY: The Jeannette Police Department Canine Unit has been disbanded, effective immediately. On Tuesday, officers received a letter saying the canine unit was being disbanded due to budget constraints. However, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke to people who say both handlers raised tens of thousands of dollars for the program. Community members Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke to are outraged over the loss of the program. “I’m sad, especially because we won’t have the extra protection we deserve,” Jeannette community member Kathie Tanyer said. “Disbanding that part of the police department was inappropriate,” said Joanne Demonte, a business owner in Jeannette. This came about a month after Sergeant James Phillips and Officer Matthew Painter filed a lawsuit against the city demanding overtime pay for caring for K-9s Diesel and Kelo. Known as the Garcia Act, it requires every police department to compensate its officers for 30 to 60 minutes of in-home care per day, which officers can also be given as time off. Bill Sombo, owner of Strategic Law Enforcement K-9 Training Incorporated, which works closely with the police dogs and the officers, said the termination was an act of retaliation and had nothing to do with money. “A retaliatory letter to get the dogs off the streets because of budget constraints; they haven’t even sat down to negotiate the budget, let alone have a budget,” he said. Both officers raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the police dog unit, which paid for the two police dog carts. Demonte donated the bulk of the funds to outfit Kelo’s carts. “We donated because we felt there was a need for that extra dog,” she said. “What happens to all that donated money? Well, those carts, the officers were asked to return them yesterday afternoon.” Painter is Kelo’s owner and will keep him. In a statement, the city said Diesel, the police dog involved, will be properly cared for and placed in a new home. Below is the full statement from the City of Jeannette: Earlier this week, City officials made the difficult but critical decision to discontinue the City of Jeannette K-9 program in its current form. Conscious of their responsibility to protect the interests of the public and, in particular, the City’s residents and taxpayers, officials acted following criticism of the program and only after extensive evaluation and review. Critically, any new and unknown costs associated with the program made maintaining the program prohibitive given the City’s already strained financial and budgetary constraints. All municipal officials must inevitably grapple with the difficult decisions of prioritizing certain municipal services over others. In this case, the City determined that the effectiveness of the program unfortunately did not justify its continuation. For example, in the current calendar year of 2024, the K9 program resulted in only 9 criminal callouts and no criminal arrests. As a result of this decision, the City of Jeannette joins a growing list of municipalities unable to continue to maintain a K9 program. After the program was discontinued, the City took all necessary steps to ensure that the affected dog was properly cared for and placed in a new home. While unfortunately not everyone may agree with the discontinuation of the program, the City appreciates the public’s respect and understanding for this difficult decision. Most of all, City officials would like to thank Diesel and Kilo for their loyal service to the City. Download the WTAE app to stay up to date with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news delivered directly to your inbox.

JEANNETTE, Pennsylvania —

UPDATE (July 26): Sergeant James Phillips released a statement on Friday via his wife’s Facebook page about the end of Jeannette’s K-9 unit.

He wrote, in part: “Being a canine handler in any department requires great sacrifice. This sacrifice is made not only by the handler, but (more importantly) by his family and friends. The countless hours of training, preparation and care required to keep the canine team functioning optimally become part of the officer’s daily life.”

He further thanked the community for participating in the program, including through fundraising. “This connected community shared the same common goal: to feel safe and to equip their police with the right tools to do their job at the highest level!” he said.

Phillips thanked Jeannette for her support during the decade the K-9 unit was in operation.

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ORIGINAL STORY: The dog squad of the Jeannette police station has been disbanded with immediate effect.

On Tuesday, officials received a letter saying the canine unit was being disbanded due to budgetary constraints, but Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke to people who said both handlers had raised tens of thousands of dollars for the program.

Community members Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke with are outraged at the loss of the program.

“I am especially sad because we are not getting the additional protection we deserve,” said Kathie Tanyer, a member of the Jeannette congregation.

“Closing this part of the police department was inappropriate,” said Joanne Demonte, a Jeannette business owner.

This came about a month after Sergeant James Phillips and Officer Matthew Painter filed a lawsuit against the city demanding overtime pay for caring for K-9 Diesel and Kelo.

This act, known as the “Garcia Act,” requires every police department to pay its officers 30 to 60 minutes a day for home care, which can also be given to the officers as time off.

Bill Sombo, owner of Strategic Law Enforcement K-9 Training Incorporated, which works closely with the police dogs and officers, said the firing was an act of retaliation and had nothing to do with money.

“A retaliatory letter telling them to take the dogs off the streets for budget reasons. They haven’t even sat down to negotiate the budget, let alone have a budget at all,” he said.

Both officers raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the K-9 unit, which helped fund the cost of the two K-9 patrol vehicles.

Demonte donated most of the funds to outfit K-9 Kelo’s car.

“We donated because we felt that this extra dog was needed,” she said. “What happens with all the money that was donated? Well, those cars, the officers were asked yesterday afternoon to return those cars.”

Painter is the owner of Kelo and will keep him. In a statement from the city, Diesel, the affected dog, will be properly cared for and placed in a new home.

Below is the full statement from the City of Jeannette:

Earlier this week, city officials made the difficult but critical decision to discontinue the City of Jeannette’s K-9 program in its current form. Conscious of their responsibility to protect the interests of the public and, in particular, the city’s residents and taxpayers, officials acted after criticism of the program and only after comprehensive evaluation and review. Crucially, any new and unknown costs associated with the program made maintaining the program prohibitive given the city’s already strained financial and budgetary constraints. All municipal officials must inevitably grapple with the difficult decisions of prioritizing certain municipal services over others. In this case, the city decided that, unfortunately, the effectiveness of the program did not justify its continuation. For example, in the current calendar year of 2024, the K9 program resulted in only 9 criminal call-outs and no criminal arrests. As a result of this decision, the City of Jeannette joins a growing list of municipalities unable to continue to maintain a K9 program. Following the discontinuance of the program, the City has taken all necessary steps to ensure that the affected dog is properly cared for and placed in a new home. While unfortunately not everyone may agree with the discontinuance of the program, the City appreciates the public’s respect and understanding in making this difficult decision. Most of all, City officials would like to thank Diesel and Kilo for their loyal service to the City.

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