WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS ACCEPT DONATION FOR NEW DRUG DOG

  

Washington County Commissioners have accepted a contribution for a new drug dog.

Commissioners at their meeting this (Tuesday) morning accepted the donation from Aspen Midstream, LLC.

Commissioner Joy Fuchs said officials with the oil company met with Precinct Four Constable Greg Rolling, regarding his list of several items the county could use.   One of the items on the list was a drug dog, which was also offered to the City of Burton.  After councilmembers in Burton rejected the offer last month, the company decided to make an offer to the county.

Fuchs said this offer was also brought to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, who decided not to have a drug dog, so it’s not as if the county is “circumventing anything”.

Rolling said this drug dog can be used countywide, and is not a “bite dog”. Fuchs said Rolling could set up on Highway 290 and catch people using that route to traffic drugs as an alternative to I-10.

The amount of the donation was $14,000 total, made up of $12,900 for the dog and $1,100 for other miscellaneous expenses.

Fuchs said food for the dog is being donated, and someone has volunteered to help with vet bills. County Judge John Durrenberger said the county’s maximum exposure will be somewhere around $500 a year for the dog.

Commissioners voted 3-1 on the matter, with Commissioner Kirk Hanath opposing. Hanath said he had concerns on the limited resources in Rolling’s office, since Rolling would be the only person that can handle the dog.  He said, since this program would be countywide, Rolling would essentially be covering “a very large area” by himself.

Fuchs said, as Rolling is no longer with the City of Burton, he will have more time to spend with the dog in the constable’s office.

Hanath also asked how evidence would be handled by the county. Rolling said, upon talking with Precinct One Constable Ken Holle, Brad Kuecker would be the evidence technician, and the evidence would be stored in the constable’s office annex.  Rolling added that felony cases would be taken directly to the lab, not stored.

Both Durrenberger and Fuchs said they understood Hanath’s concerns and that they needed to be discussed. However, Fuchs said a majority of the people in the county support the idea of having a drug dog.

Also in court, commissioners signed off on a resolution approving the county’s usage of the Federal Off-System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program for bridge projects.

County Engineer Ross McCall said in this program, the state identifies deficient bridges or drainage systems. Repairs for these are paid for on an 80-10-10 percent cost share by federal, state, and local governments respectively.

According to McCall, TxDOT will take care of repairs at Roberts Road at Burns Creek, while Washington County will be responsible for Wonder Hill Road near Stern Road.

Commissioners also approved:

  • A resolution authorizing application for a Homeland Security Grant Program.  Emergency Management Coordinator Bryan Ruemke said the county will receive two handheld radios, priced at roughly $3,500 apiece, for $1,400 altogether.
  • An interlocal agreement between Washington County and Fayette County for road improvement services to Raymond-Lehmann Road in Ledbetter.  McCall said Fayette County will reimburse Washington County for the work it does at Raymond-Lehmann Road.  McCall said Washington County crews will only be maintaining the road within the county.
  • A contract between Washington County and Butterfly Network, Inc., for ultrasound devices and a hosted software service for EMS.
  • Renewal of an interlocal agreement between Lubbock County and Washington County to provide court-appointed counsel for individuals charged with capital murder.
  • Purchase of a Ricoh Laser Copier with a two year extended warranty from Computer Helpers in Brenham.  The purchase is for the Precinct Two Justice of the Peace office, and will use JP Technology funds.
  • A subdivision variance request for a land division on Triangle Z Lane in Precinct Four.
  • A re-plat of tracts 8B and 9B of the South Berlin Subdivision, located on South Berlin Road in Precinct Four.
  • Reappointment of Durrenberger and Fuchs to the Brazos Valley Council of Governments Board of Directors.
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10 Comments

  1. I’ve got a question about this. What happens to the dog if someone runs against Rolling and defeats him? I would think that there may be a little bit of an issue with transferring the dog and training the new constable and the dog to work together should Rolling lose his elected position. Will Roger’s said it best “If you thinking you’re a person of some influence, try ordering someone else’s dog around.” Like it or not, this dog will be Constable Rolling’s dog no matter who pays for it.

    Would a new constable even be willing to take on the extra duties of caring for the dog? I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, I like reading all of the news about the dog in Fayette County, but it’s a very real thing to consider.

    It also seems to me that the county could be setting itself up for constable who will primarily work traffic on 290.

  2. Officer Rolling was the most honest and hard working person I know and Burton will miss him terribly ! He was always a great friend to us !

  3. “Fuchs said a majority of the people in the county support the idea of having a drug dog.” The idea of a drug dog is fine, I am not sure how I feel about having it in the hands of a one man law enforcement unit, and outside the supervision of the sheriff and/or police chief. It seems like our constables are starting to overstep their traditional roles within our county and I am not certain that is a good thing. Secondly, I read that they may be collecting evidence that could be used in convicting people of crimes and the solution to evidence storage seems to somewhat “fly by night”. Evidence has to be secured and follow a strict chain of custody. We have professional law enforcement agencies in our city and county that are trained and have strict procedures to follow when arresting people and collecting evidence, I personally do not think this is a role our constables need to be placing themselves in, and this includes writing tickets. It seems like this started when we started giving them law enforcement style vehicles. Mark my words, this can and will get out of hand if we are not careful.

    1. Officer Rolling is the most honest and hard working person I know ! He has been a great Policeman and friend for many many years ! Burton will truly miss him !

    2. Since Burton provided very little over the years to support their K9, I bet that there is not much to get back, aside from the vehicle. Heck, I provided the enclosure that the current dog lives in, as well as a casket and marker for the burial of the previous K9. The City was good enough to provide the hole.

      1. To: JBE, It’s best to know the facts before you accuse the City of Burton of providing little support for the K9.

        1. Having spent 17 years as a K9 officer at a large agency, and having trained with K9 units from all over the country at the state and federal levels, I am very aware of how a K9 program should be supported. I have known Greg Rolling for almost as long and assisted him some in the initial implementation of his K9 program. I saw firsthand the amount of support he received versus what other K9 units have access to. Burton did not supply him very well, and $16 an hour is a laughable wage for the effort, education and expertise required.

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