‘Copps for Cops’ brings in a boatload for PoCo K9

Metro Wire Staff

The annual Copps for Cops fundraiser just gets bigger each year.

The event, which brings the community together each summer at Copps Market, 1500 Pinecrest Ave., typically involves special ice cream sales from the Kemps Moo Mobile, special guests, and several raffle prizes as a fundraiser for the Portage Co. K9 Unit.

Dan Eiden, a Copps Market employee, has organized the fundraiser since its 2013 inception as a way to give back.

“I think of all they do for the community,” Eiden said of the event, “and the dogs get a lot of drugs off the streets so that’s just a win-win.”

The event seems to be gaining momentum.

“Altogether we’ve raised about $10,000, and we pulled in about half of that this year,” he said, adding two $1,000 checks were written during the event by donors wishing to remain anonymous.

While Stevens Point and Plover have since both installed K9 programs, Portage Co. began its K9 unit in 1991, utilizing dogs and training from Vohne Liche Kennels in Indiana. Today, duties are handled by Deputy Dan Wachowiak and his K9 partner Yent, and Deputy John White, along with his partner, K9 Lady.

According to the Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office, both dogs are trained in tracking and apprehending suspects/lost or missing persons, protecting their handler-partners, and searching buildings, vehicles and other areas for narcotics.

The program is run almost entirely on private donations. For more information contact the Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office.