Rugby Police Chief Scott Bommersbach made a pitch to the Rugby City Council Aug. 4 to bring a K-9 officer into the department. Council response was mixed, resulting in a decision to seek more information.

Bommbersbach said the K-9 officer would most likely be a Labrador sourced from a breeder in Minnesota, to be utilized for drug detection and search/tracking operations, but not for apprehension.

Officer Jessica Fjellanger said the choice of a Lab was due to the breed’s more friendly nature as opposed to German Shepherds or a Belgian Mallanoise.

“We have to do our traffic stops in a reasonable amount of time. Without us having a K-9 for these, if we wanted to search the vehicle for narcotics, we would have to call in another agency to bring their dog. Now will they be available to us, and also can we trust they will appropriately be keeping up with it?” Fjellanger said.

Fjellanger noted the K-9 would be helpful in detecting and preventing drug use in the school, saying there had been an uptick of students bringing marijauna and smoking in the bathrooms of the schools.

“If we have a dog going in there more often, can we prevent them bringing this in or even the more hardcore drugs into our schools? Chief Bommersbach also mentioned that when we are full staffed we could have an officer within the schools one to two days a week as well, so our presence is there and the kids are comfortable with us so we can deter these things,” Fjellanger said.

Fjellanger said the dog also would prove useful in searching for fleeing suspects to ensure they are detained quickly and secure positive outcomes. Fjellanger said the dog would help the department address its increased involvement in drug enforcement operations with the Narcotics Task Force to locate drugs passing through the Amtrak station.

Fjellanger said the K-9 would cost $10,500 but there is a grant that could be applied for in 2026 that would cover up to $7,500 of the cost. The 12-week training for Fjellanger and the K-9, for $6,000, could be pro-rated if the city elects to do a briefer training session. Fjellanger estimated the K-9’s cage would cost roughly $6,000, which would include a heat-sensing alarm and fan to cool the animal. She was unsure what the Drug Enforcement Administration licensing would cost but said additional expenses included around $1,500 for insurance, dog food and vaccinations.

Bommersbach said other departments, such as the Minot Police Department, use animals from the same breeder and trainer.

Mayor Frank LaRocque responded he didn’t see the need for a K-9 unit, saying Fjellanger was putting the cart before the horse. Fjellanger conceded that in her two years with the Rugby Police she hadn’t had a narcotics arrest and only one DUI arrest.

“So you have to have the numbers to bring to the council saying, ‘I’ve gone two years and I’m averaging five narcotics arrests a month.’ I’d be more interested. But to get a damn K-9 and put a K-9 cage in it that’s heated and cooled that ties up one patrol unit for one officer, and so far we aren’t getting any narcotics arrest from you,” LaRocque said.

Council member David Schneibel speculated that a city K-9 would be called to aid the Pierce County Sheriff or other departments, saying he didn’t like the idea of city resources being drawn far afield for mutual aid.

LaRocque said he wasn’t sure the department was busy enough to warrant the expense and resources, noting in January there were only 17 arrests.

Bommersbach estimated the department was calling out for assistance from other K-9 units about three times a month.

Council member Jennifer Zachmeier concurred with LaRocque, saying that while a K-9 would provide a good public relations boost for the department, there needs to be more concrete evidence that one was needed and would be worth the cost. Council members Neil Lotvedt and Jon Nelson indicated they were more open to the idea, saying they felt it was a good step toward ramping up aggressiveness by the department in addressing narcotics distribution.

Ultimately, with the council divided on the issue, Fjellanger was asked to provide more information from other police departments to support the proposal.

Sewer issue revisited

Public Works Director Troy Munyer revisited the issue of needed sewer line replacement at the intersection of Highway 3 and Fourth Street, which he previously reported had been found to have flattened out. Munyer identified several areas of the 15-inch pipe upstream and 10-inch pipe downstream of the intersection showing dips in the pipe from a review of previously recorded video.

“Some of the water level is sitting at 10%, 20%. You have a 10-inch pipe and 20% of it is already used up. The water floating around is already really high in there,” Munyer said. “I did see on the video where they did see 50%, so basically it’s a five-inch pipe.”

Munyer asked council members if they wanted to replace the flattened pipe, and it was proposed by council members it could be done in tandem with future road projects. Lotvedt said he’d like Interstate Engineering to look into it and provide a report, and the council voted unanimously to forward the question on.

In discussion of proposed ordinances, portfolio holder Zachmeier turned to the first reading of Ordinance 465, which would have the city adopt certain statutes of Title 39 of the North Dakota Century Code related to traffic violations. The first reading came after months of careful review on the recommendation of city attorney Rachael Mickelson Hendrickson.

“We’ve put it together to address the concerns I had about adopting it and making it sure to the public what we are and aren’t adopting from TItle 39,” Mickelson Hendrickson said, before the council unanimously approved the first reading.