The Cheyenne Police Department has won a drawing for $20,000 for a new police dog, according to a release from the department.

Spokesman Officer Kevin Malatesta says Cheyenne Police Chief Brian Kozak entered a drawing for the grant at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in Philadephia. Several weeks later the CPD was notified it had won the drawing and will be awarded the grant for the procurement and related expenses of a police K9.

The grant is funded by Tyler Technologies through the Sean M. Walsh K9 Memorial Foundation (Sean's K-9s). The foundation honors the memory of SPC Sean M. Walsh, who was killed in action in Afghanistan while serving with the California National Guard in 2011.

Sean had wanted to eventually become a police K9 handler. The grant to the CPD will cover the cost of the dog, food, veterinarian fees, bullet-proof vests, and equipment costs, as well as narcotics training and the costs of a basic K9 handler course.

Malatesta says the department has two k9s who are expected to retire in the spring of 2019, so the grant comes at a good time.

 

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