HELENA — There will soon be two new members of the Helena Police Department patrolling the streets, but they are not your typical police officers. The department is getting two new dual-purpose K-9s.

“It’s a valuable tool for law enforcement in general,” HPD Officer George Weaver said.

HPD currently has a narcotics detection K-9, and the two new dogs will be trained for patrol and to detect explosives.

“Not only will he be able to help us and surrounding agencies with searches for explosives, but he will also be able to help our agency with tracking individuals--both suspects and people that are lost,” HPD Sgt. Josh Ray said.

The last dog of this kind at HPD was Sgt. Ray’s K-9 partner Filu, who retired in August 2022.

HPD did not immediately replace Filu because specially-trained K-9s like him are very expensive. They can run anywhere from $10,000 to more than $30,000.

HPD has had help in getting the two new K-9s. One is being donated by the Goodyear Police Department in Arizona. That dog’s name is Billy—his handler was recently promoted to a new position, which means Billy is ready for a new assignment.

“They’ve known that coming out here it’s been my goal to help assist HPD with their K-9 program, helping the agency grow,” Officer Weaver said.

The second dog will be purchased with the help of an anonymous $15,000 donation.

The public can also help support HPD’s K-9 program, and programs across the state, through K-9 Kaos MT, a non-profit that helps departments with things like training and equipment for K-9 programs. K-9 Kaos MT also organizes events to showcase the skills K-9s and their handlers.

“I know everybody here is super excited to have these dogs back,” Sgt. Ray said. “I have a feeling the community is going to say the same thing.”

Officer Weaver is in Arizona right now working with K-9 Billy and training with the Goodyear Police Department. Soon the two will be back in Montana and on patrol.