City receives quotes to build fence for narcotics dog Jordy

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Police Department and city officials have received two quotes to construct a six-foot-tall fence to house Jordy, the department’s narcotics K-9 officer.

Captain Brandon Franke said that Police Chief Hugh Anderson has been working on getting the project started for some time. The dog joined the CCPD force last September and lives with his handler, Officer Dario Gamino, in Floyd.

City Administrator Steve Diers stated at the latest City Council workshop, held on Aug. 14, that one bid was for $7,200 for a fence constructed of cedar boards and the other was for $6,245. Diers said that the low bid would be preferred and would be comprised of pre-treated boards.

The fence will have posts set in concrete with 4×4 boards and 6-by-8 panels that would surround an area outside the property.

Diers said he budgeted $5,000 for costs associated with Jordy, but that money will not be used for the project.

“We received so much funding from the public where we do have initial funds to help cover this,” said Diers.

Diers said the Floyd City Council asked that additional screws be put in the boards and that Anderson and other CCPD officers would do that work themselves.

Jordy was involved in an incident at that residence in Floyd in late June. Franke said he did not know the details of that encounter that resulted in minor injuries to an individual, according to a Police Department press release issued in July.

“I don’t know the specific details to be honest with you – where the guy was, what he was doing,” said Franke.

When asked if that incident had anything to do with the construction of the fence, Franke said, “We’ve needed a fence for awhile, so I mean I can’t say that it’s directly tied. Specifically, not really. We needed a fence. We’ve been working on it for awhile.”

Also discussed at the workshop regarding the fence was how the city would be able to get back money that was involved in construction of the fence should Gamino leave the force, sell the house or take a job elsewhere.

“We’d hate to see him just leave and sell that house and we have our fence. So we want to have some type of recoup mechanism in with that,” said Diers.

Among options, Diers suggested a lien against the property might work, because it would have to be paid off if the property was sold.

Jordy replaced Midnight, a K9 officer who retired in 2017 because of medical issues. Midnight, a black Lab mix, was a single-narcotics dog who joined the force in 2009.