On Wednesday, May 10, 2017, at 10:00 a.m., the Sacramento Police Department will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Regional K9 Training Center, at the Northern California Regional Public Safety Training Authority honoring the longtime support of the Rotary Club of East Sacramento and a new partner, Mel Rapton Honda.

The Sacramento Police Department and the Northern California Regional Public Safety Training Authority (NCRPSTA) received a donation of more than $10,000 from the Rotary Club of East Sacramento and Mel Rapton Honda for the construction of a ten-vehicle shade structure to protect vehicles and K9s from heat exposure while training.

“By providing these shade structures, East Sacramento Rotary Club and Mel Rapton Honda have helped us create a year-round facility that provides a safe place for our K9 teams to train, learn and improve,” according to Sgt. Joshua Dobson, Sergeant of the Sacramento Police K9 Unit.  In a 2016 study by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), it was determined that twelve working police/military dogs perished due to heat related injuries in that one year alone. Dobson added, “The bi-product of the collaboration of these two organizations in helping us fund shade structures means a safer and more effective training environment for our K9 teams that serve and protect the citizens of the Sacramento region.”

East Sacramento Rotary Club has actively supported the Sacramento Police Department K9 Unit for many years. In 2007, the Club fully funded the development of the regional K9 training facility and provided the labor to prepare the site, lay sod and plant trees. The facility was named in honor of East Sacramento Rotarians Les Schuler, and Bob Jennings, both of whom had helped to spearhead the initial work.  In 2012, the Rotary Club donated $10,000 for the purchase of a Sacramento Police K9 officer to replace a K9 officer that was medically retired. 

For more information about the presentation ceremony, contact Sgt. Joshua Dobson, Sergeant of the Sacramento Police K9 Unit at (916) 808-8282 or Jdobson@sacpd.org  The K9 Training Center at the NCRPSTA is located at 2409 Dean St. McClellan Park, CA 95652