Jeannette shutters K9 program as 'cost prohibitive'

Jeannette officials on Thursday announced the city has shuttered its police department’s K9 unit.

“Critically, any new and unknown costs associated with the program made maintaining the program cost prohibitive in light of the city’s already stretched funding and budgetary constraints,” according to a statement released by city leaders.

The Jeannette Police Department operates with 12 full-time officers including two assigned to the K9 unit. Department dog handlers Sgt. Jim Phillips and Officer Matthew Painter this month filed a federal lawsuit against Jeannette, claiming the city violated labor laws by not paying overtime and costs associated with caring for the two dogs, Diesel and Kilo.

The officers claimed they worked but were not paid overtime for up to an hour extra each day to care for the dogs.

City payroll records, obtained by TribLive through a request under the state’s Right-to-Know Law, revealed Phillips earns $65.31 for each hour of overtime worked in 2024. Painter’s overtime pay is $45.29 per hour.

Their lawsuit remains pending and the officers’ Ohio-based lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Jeannette Mayor Curtis Antoniak declined to comment about the decision beyond what was contained in the city’s announcement. Police Chief Derek Manley did not return calls seeking comment.

In its statement, city officials said the unit’s use did not justify the costs. K9 officers were deployed just nine times this year and no arrests were made in those cases, officials wrote.

The city purchased Diesel in 2022 with the help of an $11,000 donation from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. Diesel, assigned to Phillips, replaced Arees, who was retired that year after nine years on the job.

Kilo, a Dutch shepherd, came with Painter when he was hired away from the Uniontown police force in 2021. Donations collected in 2023 helped pay for the purchase of a SUV to allow Kilo to join Painter on the job in Jeannette.

Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, said Jeannette officials never asked for additional funding to help pay for the city’s K9 program.

“(Ziccarelli) certainly does support K9 programs and the drug interdiction work that they do. She has consistently supported K9 officers across the county,” Jones said.

Antoniak previously pushed for city’s formal expansion of the K9 unit to include Kilo.

“I think it would be a tremendous asset to the police department and our residents,” he said in October 2022.

Much as changed in the last two years.

City officials said they reconsidered the K9 program following recent criticism.

“Following the discontinuation of the program, the city has taken all necessary steps to ensure that the affected canine is properly taken care of and rehomed. Unfortunately, although not everyone may agree with the discontinuation of the program, the city appreciates the respect and understanding of the public in response to this difficult decision,” the statement says.