Donations for vehicle help Jeannette to move forward with plans to add another police dog

Jeannette police this week ordered a used police SUV, partially funded by donations, in an effort to get the department’s second police dog on the streets.

Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said $13,500 in donations, which have been raised since April, will be combined with several thousand dollars from the department’s budget for the $18,545 bill for the 2016 Ford Interceptor SUV. Council last month gave Johnston authorization to make the purchase after past potential sales fell through because he had to wait for city approval.

Johnston first proposed in October adding police dog Kilo to the force. Officer Matthew Painter was permitted to keep the Dutch shepherd after he left the Uniontown department for Jeannette in 2021. Kilo is certified in narcotics and patrol.

The SUV is already outfitted with a police dog cage, but other safety equipment will have to be added, Johnston said. The department’s other police dog handler, Sgt. James Phillips, has offered to pay those costs.

The vehicle for Kilo will be the second the department has purchased with help from community donations.

The new SUV used by Diesel, a Belgian malinois, and Phillips hit the streets in 2021 after being completely funded by donations. Phillips holds gun bashes annually and sells T-shirts that help with the costs of equipment and training for Diesel, and previously for Arees, a now-retired German shepherd.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide a safe environment for everybody that lives in the community and visits this community,” he said.

Anyone who wants to contribute toward the cost of a vehicle for Kilo and Painter can drop off donations at city hall or mail them to the police department at 110 S. Second St., Jeannette, PA 15644. Checks should be made payable to Jeannette K-9 Fund.