K-9 Titan welcomed to the Fort Fairfield Police Department due to $51,000 grant

FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine (WAGM) - There’s a new officer patrolling the streets of Fort Fairfield, and this one is doing so on all fours. For the first time ever, the Fort Fair Field Police Department has welcomed in a K-9, an 18-month-old German Shepard mix by the name of Titan.

“So Titan, I got him about 5 and a half months ago and we had some pre-patrol days just getting used to the dog and getting us started on building the bond with him, which is pretty important,” says Officer Isaac Wipperman.

Wipperman is Titan’s partner on the force. Titan became a permanent member of the police force on Friday, June 20th. This was Titans’ graduation, alongside 8 other teams, from a 14-week course at a patrol school through the Maine State Police K9 team.

“So that was an intensive training, and it consisted of building searches, tracking of human odor, apprehension, and evidence searches as well,” says Wipperman.

The addition of a K9 Unit to the police force is not cheap and would not have been possible at all for the small town police department if it wasn’t for a $51,000 dollar grant.

“Without the Stanton Foundation, we would not have been able to participate in this program,” says Chief Matthew Cummings with the Fort Fairfield police department.

The grant was for police departments looking to start a K9 unit. It will pay for Titan’s food, training, and vet bills, among other necessary amenities.

“So it’s a substantial grant for us to be able to purchase the canine, be able to outfit our cruiser to be able to handle a canine because we have specialized equipment in the cruiser, such as a cage, heat sensors, heat alarms,” says Cummings.

Officials at the police station are confident in Titan’s ability to assist on the job now that he has been trained and graduated from K9 patrol school. Wipperman says Titan’s ability to track people can help the department when it comes to wanted individuals or missing people.