YARMOUTH – From Yarmouth Police: Members of the Yarmouth Police Department and the Yarmouth Police Foundation gathered on Thursday morning at 10AM at Yarmouth Police Department Headquarters as they launched STRONGER SHIELD, a capital campaign for a state of the art Police Officer training complex at the Yarmouth Police Department Headquarters in West Yarmouth.
The facility would be the first of its kind on Cape Cod enabling law enforcement officers and K-9 teams to train in realistic environments in a dedicated/secure outdoor area behind headquarters.
The goal of STRONGER SHIELD is to:
• Acquire an interactive simulation technology for patrol officers who remain exposed to the same threats and dangers as their big-city counterparts
• Construct an on-site mock house for the K9, Police Officer, and S.W.A.T. team’s realistic training environment
• Develop next-generation K-9 and Police Officer Obstacle Training Course
• Acquire an enclosed live-round training range
The complex will be named the Sergeant Sean M. Gannon K-9/Police Officer Training Facility, and dedicated in honor of Sergeant Sean Gannon who was murdered in the line of duty on April 12, 2018, while executing an arrest warrant in the Town of Barnstable. Gannon’s canine partner, K9 Nero, was also shot and continues to recover from his wounds.
Also on hand was special guest Mr. Roger Ludwig of the Weny Charitable Trust who is helping to launch this campaign with an initial $150,000 donation and another $150,000 donation after January 1, 1019.
YPD Chief Frank Frederickson says STRONGER SHIELD will significantly improve the safety of police officers on every level of the rank-and-file, their K-9 partners, and the citizens that YPD has sworn to protect and serve. “Officer Safety is increased through consistent and professional preparation drills, together with an adequate training infrastructure,” explained Chief Frederickson. “YPD will continue STRONGER SHIELD until we raise enough funds to improve existing facilities, and acquire technologies, and equipment we need for a safer Yarmouth,” he added.
The complex will be named the Sgt. Sean M. Gannon K-9/Police Officer Training Facility, and dedicated in honor of Sgt. Sean Gannon who was murdered in the line of duty on April 12, 2018, while executing an arrest warrant in the Town of Barnstable. Sergeant Gannon was an eight-year veteran of YPD. He was also part of the Emergency Management Unit, a part-time member of the Proactive Anti-Crime Team, and was the first K-9 narcotics officer for YPD. Gannon’s canine partner, Nero, was also shot and continues to recover from his wounds. Sean Gannon was posthumously promoted to Sergeant.
Chief Frederickson explained that Sergeant Gannon’s family, including his parents and his wife, Dara, support STRONGER SHIELD and the Yarmouth Police Department, and have given their blessing to naming the training facility after their loved one.
Updated information can also be found online at the Yarmouth Police Department website: http://yarmouthpolice.com
Or,
Visit the Yarmouth Police Foundation online at: https://yarmouthpolicefoundation.org
The Town of Yarmouth and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts do not have available funding to support an upgrade in facilities, new infrastructure, equipment and technologies. To meet the approximate $900,000 goal necessary for the training facility, the Campaign has partnered with Hero-Industries, Com., of Anaheim, California, to produce a 9” tall, K-9 Hero Pup stuffed animal that recreates the likeness of Nero.
Hero-Industries is a leading provider of custom products to law enforcement and government agencies worldwide. To order a Nero Hero, visit: www.kscopestore.com/YPD_Gannon
These pups will be sold through an online store managed by the wholly-independent Yarmouth Police Foundation, a charitable non-profit that is not part of the Yarmouth Police Department. There is, however, no formal institutional connection between the Yarmouth Police Department and the Yarmouth Police Foundation. Although the autonomous Yarmouth Police Foundation’s mission (yarmouthpolicefoundation.org) is to support the Yarmouth Police Department, its activities are not governed by rank-and-file’s senior leadership. In other words, no member of the Yarmouth Police Foundation is formally associated with the Yarmouth Police Department. But proceeds benefitting STRONGER SHIELD will be processed through the Yarmouth Police Foundation because it’s a registered charitable non-profit organization within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“We’ve been getting numerous requests from all over the world for Hero Nero Pups,” reminded Chief Frederickson. Hero Industries has the in-house capacity to manufacture and ship thousands of Nero animals in short order. “If everyone who’s interested would buy one, it will go a long way in meeting our needs to do our jobs,” he clarified.
Chief Frederickson recognizes that people all over the nation and the world have reached out to inquire about ordering a Nero pup, which prompted the concept that could help pay for the training facility. In Massachusetts, however, it is highly unethical for municipal employees to directly attempt to raise funds to support their agencies. So, any concept to garner support for the training facility had to be considered carefully.
After much consideration and caution, Chief Frederickson gave the nod to proceed with using the Nero pup to support the training facility. In the case of STRONGER SHIELD, 100% of all proceeds raised through the Yarmouth Police Foundation will go to directly support the training facility, which leaves the Yarmouth Police Department aligned with state ethics frameworks.
STRONGER SHIELD is a “cooperative campaign that will run alongside the ongoing fine work of the Yarmouth Police Foundation,” added Chief Frederickson. If interested in donating to the STRONGER SHIELD Campaign, please contact the Yarmouth Police Foundation.
For updates about STRONGER SHIELD, stayed tuned to the YPD & YPF Facebook pages at: https://www.facebook.com/yarmouthpolice https://www.facebook.com/yarmouthpolicefoundation
Photos by John P. Carroll/CWN
