A German shepherd in Alabama just might be making things alittle tougher for drug dealers in Brookhaven in the futurefollowing the board of aldermen’s approval of Police Chief PapHenderson’s request for a new city-owned drug dog.

Henderson said Felix, the current dog being used by BPD, is thepersonal property of Sgt. Clint Earls. Henderson said Felix isbeginning to age beyond his years as a police dog, and that it’stime to start looking for a new one.

“We’ve never owned one,” Henderson said.

The chief said a regular police dog can cost from $12,000 to$14,000, but that the dog he had found would only cost the policedepartment $3,500, plus $3,000 for additional training.

Henderson said former sheriff’s department K-9 officer ChrisPicou, had discovered the dog and contacted him and Earls about it.Both Picou and Earls have worked with the dog and are pleased withhim, Henderson said.

The people selling the dog are happy to sell it for $3,500 ifthe city will write them a letter for a $7,500 donation for a taxwrite-off, Henderson said, so the dog would actually amount to an$11,000 transaction. City Attorney Joe Fernald said he will checkon the legality and specifics of that request.

The money for the dog is already in the budget, Henderson said,so no revisions will have to be made in order to purchase it. Inaddition, time is of the essence because it is a good possibilityother departments are looking at the K9 to purchase it as well,Henderson said.

Henderson said he hopes the dog will be in police custody by theend of the week, but said it depends on the outcome of Fernald’sresearch. But, he said, they will procure the canine as soon aspossible.

In other board business, Public Works Director Steve Moretonreported progress on the new police department, which will behoused in the old Mississippi Highway Patrol Building on Highway51.. Hopefully, he said, police personnel can be in their new homeby the first of the year.

Moreton said the sheetrock and doors are almost complete, as isthe electricity. New windows have been installed.

“It’s coming along,” Mayor Bob Massengill said. “We’ve still gotsome work to be done, but it’s coming along.”

Massengill told the board the Halbert Heights ditch project willbe bid out on Nov. 25. He said while Natural Resources ConservationService funds cannot be used as matching funds, the city hasalready budgeted for the project, so the NRCS funds can be used foranother part of the project.

Massengill said four property owners will be affected by theriprapping of the ditch, and that three of them had donated theireasements to the city. The fourth had already spent $10,000 to$12,000 to riprap the section of ditch behind his property andwanted to be reimbursed a little.

“And that’s a portion that the contractor won’t have to do,”said Massengill, pointing out that should help some with the othercosts on the project.