PANAMA CITY BEACH − Some upgraded amenities are around the corner for the Beach’s four-legged officers.
In a meeting on July 9, Panama City Beach City Council members approved a resolution for the city to pay $2.875 million to H.A. Contracting for the construction of a police K9 training facility. The 2,800-square-foot facility will be built at the north end of Gulf Boulevard.
“I think it’s huge to be able to provide that service for our law enforcement,” Councilman Michael Jarman said. “It allows us to maintain the level of K9s that we have, which I believe is the largest in the Panhandle. It’s a huge asset to Beach PD. It’s a huge asset to the city in general.”
Jarman also noted that having such a facility, which is where the K9s will live, will eliminate the lability of housing police-trained dogs in residential areas.
According to the meeting’s agenda, the development will include kennels, office space and ancillary areas. For Jarman, K9s are an essential part of the Beach Police that help perform a variety of tasks and improve the department’s capabilities.
Among their specialties is helping with crowd control, which is important during peak tourism times.
“K9s offer a plethora of utility skills that we otherwise would not have, and crowd control is a very large one,” Jarman said. “They are very effective at dispersing and moving crowds of people, just by their presence alone. Anytime that we can provide partners to our officers, it’s an added layer of safety for them.
“Those K9s, those dogs, are their partners and are full-blooded police officers.”
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: PCB City Council OKs $2.875 million police K9 training facility
Reporting by Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
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By Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald | USA TODAY Network
