Elizabeth Twp. police continues to expand with K-9 program, drones

The Allegheny County police force now patrols four communities.

Elizabeth Township Police Department has been putting its department’s resources to good use as many K-9 officer and police drone demonstrations have been popping up around the area.

This includes demonstrations at Elizabeth Borough’s annual Riverfest as well as at West Mifflin Middle School, Elizabeth Forward’s William Penn Elementary and many other locations.

“The dog is something from a public relations standpoint that allows interest for a young mind to see the dog, and how the dog works and how the dog trains, and does demonstrations,” said Elizabeth Township police Chief Ken Honick said. “It allows us to have a reason to meet with the user and then educate the youth about some of the things that they need to be aware of so they could be safer in their personal lives.

“So it’s incredibly efficient and effective.”

While these demonstrations show children in the area a basic knowledge of how a drone works and how a K-9 officer works, Honick said the demonstrations have been useful for other outreach in the community, including senior citizens, about narcotics and crime prevention.

Additionally, while canine work and drone technology are fast evolving law enforcement tools, they are also in the “infancy stages,” according to Honick, who said the township is using these assets to their advantage.

“I think Elizabeth Township is unique in the sense that our community has a quote unquote small town feel, but our law enforcement agencies are second to none,” Commissioner Josh Walls said. “Elizabeth Township Police Department covers four municipalities. That alone is not common.

“So you know, we cover multiple school districts, and the range of 20,000 total residents. It’s probably one of the largest police service areas in the county for sure,” Walls added. “ I think the public would agree that our police department offers just a superior level of service. So our 100% goal and objective is to keep our community safe, keep our residents safe and uphold what makes our area, our township and the communities we serve special.”

K-9 program

Honick said Elizabeth Township has over a 20 year history of working with K-9 officers, and while it was taken away for a bit, it was brought back about eight years ago by the township.

It’s the township’s long-term goal to continue to expand its canine program in the first quarter of 2025, according to Honick.

“In terms of the canine program, investment in the canine program further transcends our community safety measures,” Walls said. “These investments demonstrate our commitment to ET POLICE GROWS •A2

Elizabeth Township Police adding advanced technology and specialized resources to enhance the safety and well-being of our residents.”

Walls said the K-9 program has “bridged any gap” between the public and the police department, allowing residents to feel “positively about the department as a whole.”

“The thought process behind a canine program, of course, is it’s an additional tool to narcotics intervention and it’s a highly effective tool to have in-house,” Honick said. “It allows you to not only do narcotics work, but you know it also allows an avenue for search and rescue.”

K-9 officers also allow an avenue for apprehension of higher risk suspects for a police officer, according to Honick, where a dog has the speed and agility to apprehend efficiently and more effectively, with zero risk to the police officer.

The dog handler has the ability to then disengage the dog, and then safely take the subject into custody, Honick said, and once a canine program is established in-house, it is easier for police departments to expedite their response to suspects.

“You know, a lot of people do not like to use the term, but when it’s all said and done, the police canine is actually a tool for the law enforcement officer to be more effective in his duty to protect and serve,” Honick said. “So you may encounter scenarios where you suspect a vehicle has narcotics in it, and you use the dog as a tool. It has a nose that is hundreds of percentile above what a police officer could see and smell. So you know, they could locate drugs more efficiently.

The township’s K-9 program is supported by businesses and organizations, and the funding comes from the Elizabeth Township Sportsmen Association and other donations.

Noble Environmental, the parent company of County Hauling and Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, heard about the K-9 program and is providing a $5,000 donation as part of its Christmas in July Initiative, which gives unexpected donations to Pittsburgh-area organizations.

They are working on getting in contact with the department about the donation, according to Ro Rozier of Noble Environmental.

The department had two K-9 partners that were working 24 hours a day until it was announced that its K-9 Officer Eli, who was purchased in 2016, passed away following a K-9 demonstration in May.

“Specifically, Eli was really good at going to many community events,” Walls said. “He was a very friendly dog, but the loss only proves how much of an impact that he made on our community. So, you know, I just think that the program is really strong. It’s really positive. It’s good for our community and it helps keep our residents safe. That’s the goal. That’s the only goal.

“In a world of uncertainties, I think we’ve done a pretty good job at investing into technologies and equipment and personnel, including the canine that creates a safe environment for our residents,” Walls added. “And that’s our job.”

The other team consists of K-9 Officer Bear and his handler Officer Dwayne Beere of Clairton. Honick said the department is “extremely proud” of Officer Bear, who was purchased in 2022.

“And they’re working every single week in training environments to be as highly efficient and effective as humanly possible,” Honick said. “And, we see an incredible value in an internal canine program, as it is our long-term vision to keep that in place and possibly even grow it again — not only to what it was before we lost our canine, but maybe even further in 2025.”

Drone program

According to Walls, the township police department has two drones, which are used for different purposes and offer “significant safety and operational benefits.”

The larger drone, which was purchased by Olympus Energy as part of a conditional use application for one of the well pads in the township, is better for covering extensive areas, including outdoor search and rescue operations, emergency situations and natural disasters, Walls said.

In early February, Elizabeth Township police used its larger drone to apprehend a suspect who was running from police, Walls said.

“And without technology, I don’t think it would have been possible,” Walls said. “It was really, really neat.”

The smaller drone, on the other hand, is perfect for indoor operations, according to Walls, who said it was purchased earlier this year from the township’s general budget.

“They can enter buildings and rooms providing valuable reconnaissance without putting the pilot or other person at risk. This is particularly useful in situations involving hazardous environments, potential structural instability or active threats,” Walls said. “By using the smaller drone, we can ensure that our first responders have a clear understanding of the situation inside a building before they enter, enhancing their safety and the safety of the residents they are protecting.”

Honick added that the drones have been “easily deployable within minutes,” and are the fragment of the cost compared to helicopter surveillance.

“In my opinion, compared to police canines and prior to drone technology, many of the things that the drone can accomplish could only be accomplished by large state and county agencies who had helicopter service, which is extremely expensive from a fuel standpoint and having man hours to operate,” Honick said. “The risk in those scenarios is incredible. You have a helicopter that’s out, where with the drone, it’s an unmanned piece of equipment with really highly technical cameras on it that could allow us to see, in some cases, up to a mile away.”

Honick said the department has regional partners within the South Hills Area Council’s law enforcement agencies — allowing the department to train with other departments, especially in emergency situations when there might need to be 2-3 drone teams depending on the event.

With a drone demonstration, the drone will have a landing zone location for the drone operator to land on and the operator will bring people close up to the machine to see how it works.

Having a police drone gives the department an ability to quickly survey vast areas, according to Walls and helps first responders gather critical information and “coordinate their efforts more effectively.”

“There’s again, like the police canine, there’s zero risk to law enforcement officers when that drone is up and running. The drone operator is a mile or several 100 yards away from the risk subject, and it allows us to safely and tactfully guide law enforcement officers towards the target subjects or target vehicles.”