Meeker County Board members approved a request from Meeker County Sheriff Mike Hirman last week to add a seventh full-time sheriff’s deputy.
Hirman said he planned to include the extra deputy position in his 2008 budget but would like to advertise for the position and hire someone as soon as October.
Hirman also asked the board for permission to expand the department’s K-9 unit. The department currently has one canine, a drug-sniffing dog handled by Deputy John Toma, and a second deputy has expressed interest in getting a dog.
Hirman said Ramsey County has a dog available for $5,000. The dog has been trained in tracking. The officer and dog will spend 10 weeks in K-9 school.
When asked, Hirman said there are few ongoing costs to maintaining a dog. In addition to food and veterinary bills, the department pays its officers an additional two hours a month to maintain the dogs at their homes.
“This is more of a commitment by the officer (than the department),” commissioner Amy Wilde said. The board approved purchasing the dog and subsequent costs.
The board also approved hiring Bill Hudson as a full-time sheriff’s deputy. Hudson has been a part-time deputy for the past year, Hirman said.