The Franklin Police Department may soon have a furry addition to its team.
The department is considering bringing in a comfort dog that would be trained to work with victims and assist officers out in the community, police Chief David Goldstein said.
“Animals have a very special effect on people,” Goldstein said. “They make them feel safe and comforted – exactly what we want to do at the police department.”
The dog would not be trained as a K-9 police dog or serve on patrol. Instead, it would be used to calm and comfort people that the police department comes into contact with.
For example, the dog might wait with domestic violence victims who sit in the station before a hearing at the nearby courthouse. Goldstein said the department often welcomes domestic violence victims to do just that so they don’t have to come into contact with their abusers before a hearing.
“They’re often worried, traumatized and nervous,” he said. “With this, someone who is a victim of a crime, they come in and they can sit and relax and the dog is there. It’s easier for them to focus and stay calm.”
The department would also bring the dog out into the community on visits to schools and retirement homes. It would further benefit officers who respond to traumatic calls and need support, Goldstein said.
Goldstein said the department is in the early stages of considering getting a comfort dog and researching what its training would entail.
He said Franklin was inspired to look into a dog by the Concord Police Department, which became the first police department in the state to employ a comfort dog when they got their yellow Labrador, Liberty, last year.
Liberty is currently being trained by Hero Pups, an Exeter-based nonprofit that connects therapy dogs with veterans and first responders.
Concord police Chief Brad Osgood told the Monitor in October 2018 that training, spaying and acquisition of Liberty would cost up to $5,000. The Concord Police Department was able to get those costs covered by a nonprofit, he said.
Goldstein said his city’s police department subcommittee will look into what the cost would be for Franklin. He said he’s confident that the city would be able to fund the dog through grants or donations.
Goldstein said Franklin would likely look into getting a Labrador, like Liberty.
“From what I’ve been able to research so far, usually the Lab breed is the best – they’re very even, very gentle,” he said.
Goldstein said the department’s dog would likely have two handlers, including one person from the police department and one from the fire department.
(Leah Willingham can be reached at 369-3322, lwillingham@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @LeahMWilling ham.)