DETECTIVE LT. ADAM RAY of the Iron Mountain Police Department works with K-9 officer Falcon in 2018. (Photo posted on Facebook)

IRON MOUNTAIN — As Dickinson County prepares to add a K-9 officer to its sheriff’s patrols, a decision will be made soon on whether Iron Mountain Police Department’s K-9 program will end.

During a discussion with the city council Monday, Director of Police and Fire Services Edwin Mattson recommended the city either drop the program or create a stand-alone position for its K-9 officer. For the past eight years Falcon, a Belgian malinois, has been handled by Detective Lt. Adam Ray, who is being promoted within IMPD.

Ray said Falcon hasn’t been “utilized to the fullest of his ability” because IMPD is stretched too thin to allow strictly K-9 assignments. Also, after Iron Mountain introduced Falcon in 2015, K-9 units have become available through Michigan State Police and Florence County, Wis.

Mattson said the Iron Mountain program, funded entirely through donations, has nonetheless been worthwhile. If the city insists on keeping a K-9, even without a new position, the department could accommodate it, he said.

Council member David Farragh said it wouldn’t “be fair either to the dog officer or the handler” to go that route, adding that creating a stand-alone position “is not within our budget.”

Ray said he’s confident there’s adequate coverage from the neighboring agencies and the sheriff’s department, which may introduce a K-9 officer by summer or fall. Most of Falcon’s recent drug-traffic searches have actually taken place in Niagara, Wis., he said.

In response to council questions, Ray and Mattson agreed the sheriff’s department is better suited to make full use of a K-9 officer, although both said they’re proud of what’s been accomplished with Falcon.

Also attending Monday’s special session was Deputy Director of Police Services Jeff Solka, who is in line to succeed Mattson when he retires this summer. Solka said it would be “great to have a stand-alone” K-9 position but acknowledged the budget constraints.

City Manager Jordan Stanchina said it makes sense to put Iron Mountain’s K-9 needs under the county’s umbrella.

Meanwhile, the city has a 2021 Dodge Durango equipped for K-9 use. The county could be approached about buying it or it could be converted for regular patrol use.

Iron Mountain also has nearly $15,000 remaining in its K-9 fund. Council member Ken Clawson, a strong proponent of the K-9 program, said he’d like to see the money stay with Iron Mountain. One use could be future care for Falcon in retirement, he said.