South Whitehall commissioners have approved purchase of a third dog for the police K-9 program at a cost of $20,000.

This is the price of the canine, one year of training and outfitting the officer’s vehicle.

Ranger, a 12-month-old female Dutch Shepherd, will begin training this month.

Chief Glen Dorney reports Ranger is certified in narcotics detection and patrol work.

Her handler is Officer Matthew Carney.

She joins Kyra and Drax who came from Holland to the South Whitehall police department in September 2018.

Dorney said the additional K-9 will fit in with the new 12 hour shifts and four-platoon work schedule for police employees.

“There’s a possibility we’ll expand to a fourth canine so each platoon has its own,” Dorney said, adding that acquisition depends upon budget considerations.

Restructuring of police work shifts and the platoon arrangement were provided for in the two-year contract extension approved by commissioners last fall.

Dorney said officers work 80 hours in every two-week period with shifts running 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

There are six 12-hour days and one eight-hour shift in each two week pay schedule.

Officers have every other weekend with three days off and never work more than three days straight, Dorney said.

“We have more continuity of command and better structure, plus they have more home life,” the chief noted.

Dorney is expanding not only the K-9 program but also the police force itself from its present 36 members to 41 or 42 as an ultimate goal.

At the Jan. 2 meeting, commissioners approved an unnamed applicant for an entry level position as patrol officer, contingent upon the individual’s satisfactory completion of the background investigation, and polygraph, medical and psychological examinations to confirm fitness for the job.