FARMINGTON — Selectmen accepted a $2,000 donation from Robert Harper for the Farmington Police Department K-9 program Jan. 28.

Farmington Police Chief Kenneth Charles, left, talks about the department’s K-9 program Jan. 28 at the selectmen meeting at the Municipal Building. Also seen are Sgt. Ethan Boyd and retired University of Maine at Farmington Police Chief Robert Harper, seated, who donated $2,000 to the K-9 program. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser
“Many of you probably know him anyway, he was the chief of police for the University of Maine at Farmington,” Police Chief Kenneth Charles said. “He retired in 2005 after 43 years of law enforcement so obviously a pretty integral part of policing in the community.”
Charles recognized Harper’s wife, Sharon.
“I also thought it was a good opportunity to bring in Sgt. Ethan Boyd and K-9 Hook because he is the subject of why we are here tonight,” he said. “It was a few weeks ago Chief Harper came by the office with an envelope and said, ‘I had a little something that I wanted to give the K-9 program.'” I opened it up, it was $1,000 in cash and he wanted to make a donation to benefit our K-9 program.”

Farmington police Sgt. Ethan Boyd shows K-9 Captain Hook to Sharon Harper, right, at the Jan. 28 selectmen meeting at the Municipal Building. Harper is the wife of retired University of Maine at Farmington Police Chief Robert Harper of Farmington, who donated $2,000 to the K-9 program. Lauren, Boyd’s significant other, stands in the doorway. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser
Captain Hook, a Labrador retriever, was born Feb. 12, 2009.
“Hook is a narcotics only detection dog,” Charles said. “It takes a ton of training to get them where they need to be. They have got to have a work drive, they have got to be passionate about what they do.”
Feedback from the state police training academy for K-9s is that Hook is one of the best drug dogs they have worked with in a long time, Charles said. “We have a lot to be proud of. Just last night he had a find of some methamphetamine out of a motor vehicle. Methamphetamine is a very strong chemical compound so it is one of the easier drugs, but it is also one of the more dangerous. The bottom line is taking drugs off the street.”
When Charles called Harper earlier Tuesday to make sure he was all set for the meeting, Harper told him the article needed to be amended. “He told me he had another $1,000 he wanted to donate, so ultimately Chief Harper would like to donate $2,000 to the K-9 program,” Charles said. “We will need to determine between supplies, some equipment, perhaps actually get him his own protective vest or we could put it in the reserve account, use it for major medical expenses and other upkeep.”
Charles said the veterinarian who cares for Hook refuses to send a bill.
“Hook goes home with Sgt. Boyd every night, so there is a lot of responsibility that falls on the family and the people who are in the home to kind of help take care of the dog, be in a nurturing environment and all that,” Charles noted.
Boyd said he appreciates the donation.
“We started the program with very little, so it does help and it goes a long ways,” he said. “We try to get him out as much as we can and it’s not just our town that benefits from it either. Surrounding agencies have used us quite a bit and we have been successful helping them out too, so it’s very helpful.”
“We appreciate your taking ownership in the town to donate out of your own pocket,” Charles told Harper. “That’s fantastic.”
“My pleasure,” Harper responded.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.