Title
Motion to Accept the Donation of Police K9 Louie Valued at $7,000.00 from Chris Sferruzzo and The Hometown Foundation, Inc. in Cheshire, Connecticut, to the City for Use by the Hampton Police Division's K9 Unit
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
HPD’s Master K9 Handler, MPO Tom Hendrickson, was contacted by Chris Sferruzzo from an organization called The Hometown Foundation, Inc. based in Cheshire, Connecticut in reference to donating a police K9 to the Hampton Police Division. The Hometown Foundation, Inc., established in 2002, is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to supporting the community. The Foundation raises money to support a broad range of programs that meet community needs that focus on six key program areas: children, major illness, intellectual disabilities, emergency response personnel, animal welfare, and the military. In particular, this organization has a history of donating police K9’s to law enforcement agencies not just in their local area, but to other areas of the country as well.
When Mr. Sferruzzo contacted MPO Hendrickson he explained that their organization would donate a police K9 so as long as the Division named the dog after fallen Navy Seal, Jason "Louie" Lewis, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2007. Louie was from Brookfield, Connecticut very near where this foundation is based. However, the reason the City of Hampton was selected was that Louie’s surviving wife and three kids still reside in the Hampton Roads area.
MPO Keith Hicks’ current K9, Saber, is set to retire in a few months. In an effort for the Division to remain operationally efficient with their K9 Corps, it was decided to bring K9 Louie on board now to work with MPO K. Hicks before K9 Saber retired. K9 Louie will serve as one of the Division's Patrol / Explosive Detection dogs.
Discussion:
See Background above.
Impact:
The Hometown Foundation, Inc. paid $7,000.00 to the breeder for K9 Louie which is the value of this donation.
Recommendat...
Click here for full text