The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office will soon have a K-9 to assist with its operations.

The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning unanimously approved the implementation of a K-9 program.

Freeborn County Sheriff Kurt Freitag said an order has been placed for a 60-90 pound German shepherd, and the department plans on purchasing the dog soon.

Implementation is expected to cost $44.500; $8,500 for the K-9, $31,000 for equipment in connection with the K-9 and $5,000 for classes and schooling.

Freitag said funding will more than likely come from a combination of donations, forfeiture funds, budgeted items and a possible grant.

The K-9 will be trained in the next few months, including a four-week narcotics detection class in February and a 10-week patrol course in April, according to Freitag.

He said the K-9 will be approximately 1-year-old, and should last from six to eight years.

“That will help us immensely in finding drugs wherever they may be, especially in vehicles,” he said.

Patrol Deputy Glen Strom with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office will be the K-9 handler.

The K-9 will fill other areas of need for the Sheriff’s Office, Freitag said, including drug interdiction work on the interstate, helping the Sheriff’s Office locate missing persons and to track and apprehend criminals.

“It reduces the risks for us,” Freitag said. “It reduces the risk for deputies to clear the building when we know there is a bad guy in there.”

The dog will be purchased through Performance Kennels Inc., a Minnesota-based organization that aims to supply and train police dogs.

Freitag said the name of the K-9 will come from the public, and should be ready for duty in summer 2016.

Freeborn County Commissioner Jim Nelson said the dogs provide safety and a helping hand for officers.

“They’re good protection,” Nelson said. “A lot of people are scared of dogs. … It’s just a good program.”

Nelson said K-9s are also taken into schools to check lockers.

“It’s just something about having a dog that people have more respect for them,” Nelson said.

The Sheriff’s Office has had two other K-9s, Freitag said, including one in the late 1990s and Chaos, a K-9 who was with the department from 2004-12.