Assets seized in county crimes to help fund K9 for Midvale

MIDVALE — On New Year's Day, the Midvale Police Department lost a beloved colleague in the line of duty.

Koda, a 31/2-year-old Belgian Malinois, had been with Midvale police for a little more than a year when he went with his handler to apprehend four burglary suspects. When police lost sight of one of the victims, Koda's handler released him to get the man.

Koda disappeared around the corner, and police heard two gunshots. When they rounded the corner, they found Koda dead, shot twice in the chest.

Now, almost two weeks after the tragedy, attorneys in the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office are pooling to help.

"A group of attorneys were discussing the loss of the dog and discussing what could be done," said Lohra Miller, Salt Lake County district attorney.

When police dogs find items such as money or drugs while apprehending suspects, those items are seized by the state and used as evidence in court. In a way, Miller said, dogs like Koda make her job possible.

"Given the direct connection with our forfeitures, we decided it would be a good idea to fund a dog," she said.

During Tuesday's Salt Lake County Council meeting, the council approved the action. Steve DeBry, the council's newest member and a Unified Police Department captain, said he was thrilled with the idea.

"I know a police service dog is invaluable," DeBry said. "What a good way to use their approved asset forfeiture funds. I can think of no better way to spend them."

K9 units are used all over the county, he said, not just the city in which they're assigned. That means Koda's replacement would benefit the entire county, not just Midvale, DeBry said.

As soon as the council signs the measure, Miller will deliver a check to Midvale for $10,000 to buy a new police dog.

Midvale Police Chief Tony Mason was thrilled about the news of county funding.

"It was a godsend," Mason said. "In these economic times, it would have been very difficult to replace him. It might have been a year from now."

Police K9s are used for everything from casing robbery suspects to finding drugs, he said. Dogs from each city work together for major incidents in what is known as an intercity K9 callout.

Midvale Mayor JoAnn Seghini is tickled pink about the new pooch.

"It lets you know how important the K9s are to our police department," Seghini said.

A private individual has volunteered to fly an officer to Southern California to pick out a new pup. The person will also fly the pair back on his private jet, Mason said.

Training the new dog and his handler will take about six months, the chief said.

Meanwhile, the community is still mourning the loss of Koda. Services for the dog will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the auditorium of Hillcrest High School, 7350 S. 900 East.

e-mail: ashaha@desnews.com, rpalmer@desnews.com