Berkley Public Safety Department Receives a 25,000 Dollar Donation for the K-9 Program

Through the generosity of the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation, Berkley Public Safety has received a donation of 25,000 dollars!

Media Contact: 
Torri Mathes, Community Engagement Officer; tmathes@berkleymich.net; 248-658-3333 
Jordan Kobernick; Public Safety Lieutenant; jkobernick@berkleypublicsafety.net; 248-658-3387

Berkley, MI - July 20, 2021 - Berkley Public Safety Department would like to convey its deepest gratitude to the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation for the generous donation of $25,000 toward the K-9 program. 

Starting in 1982, Mary P. Dolciani established the Mary P. Dolciani Foundation to further the study of mathematics and mathematics education. Mary has written numerous mathematics textbooks that have been translated into several languages for high schools. She was well known for her enthusiasm for teaching, writing, and life.

How Does This Relate to the K9 Program?
Through its many accomplishments, the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation has been able to support public safety and humanitarian projects. With the Board of Directors having ties to the Berkley community, their donation will greatly aid in extending the capabilities of the K-9 unit for the Public Safety team.

“We cannot thank the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation enough for their most generous $25,000 donation to our K9 program,” said Matt Koehn, Berkley Public Safety Chief and Director. “We were simply flabbergasted when they contacted us with the news of their wishes to donate to our program… This donation had a huge impact on us meeting our initial funding goal and we were very surprised to learn that a member of their board of directors is a resident of the City. We thank the Mary P. Dolciani Halloran Foundation for the support of our program.” 

What the K-9 Program Provides

  • Track missing people – we want all residents to be safe and find them if they are lost.
  • Track illegal substances – drug abuse is on the rise, exacerbated by the pandemic. 
  • Locate evidence and suspects – items that are stolen or left behind as part of a crime scene, building searches. 
  • Build bonds with the community – we especially seek to form connections with children and teens through a presence in the schools. A trained officer and a dog speaking to a room of students initiate a conversation around the perils of drug and alcohol abuse. Relationships are formed between students and the officer, which makes it far more likely for students to reach out for help. 
  • Partnership with local communities – K-9 units have a reciprocal partnership relationship with surrounding communities.

Interested in donating? 
K-9 units are typically funded entirely by donations from the community. Those still interested in helping our K-9 program can contact Public Safety Lieutenant Jordan Kobernick at jkobernick@berkleypublicsafety.net, or by calling 248-658-3387.

To learn more about the K-9 Program, visit www.berkleymich.org/k9program.

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