K9 Program

The Vernonia Police Department K-9 Program is a program started in
November of 2004 after the hiring of Officer Mike Kay who is a Certified K9
Handler. Officer Kay also brought with him his German Sheppard "Krueger", a
Certified Police K9. Both Officer Kay and Krueger hold numerous National
Certifications. Since November 2004, Officer Kay and Krueger had been
involved in several drug seizures, drug money seizure, and fugitive
apprehensions for Vernonia, Columbia County, Oregon State Police, and other
surrounding jurisdictions. Officer Kay and Krueger are also directly involved in
the Columbia County Narcotic Enforcement Team.

Officer Kay is a Drug Beat Certifying Agent. This designation means that
Officer Kay has the ability to certify K9's through the Drug Beat National K9
Training program. Officer Kay can certify on K9 Apprehension, K9 Narcotic
Detection, and K9 Man Tracking. For more information go to Drug Beat
website.

A police K9 Program is a very expensive for any size police department to run,
let alone a small city like Vernonia. Officer Kay personally owns Krueger and
the City of Vernonia leases "Krueger" each year. The Vernonia Police
Department K9 Program is a budgeted item for the department but only on a
limited basis. The program essentially runs mostly on donations from the
public, groups, and businesses.

Through several donations we are able to sustain the K-9 Program and
enhance the law enforcement capabilities of the Vernonia Police Department.
The cash donations we received have allowed the department to purchase a
ballistic vest for "Krueger" (see photos below). The vest is helping to keep
Krueger safe while improving his deployment abilities.

If you are interested in donating to the Vernonia Police K9 Program you can
stop by the station or city hall as well as send a donation to:

Vernonia Police Department
1001 Bridge St.
Vernonia, OR 97064