Sheriff department introduces new facility dog

CENTREVILLE – St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman recently introduced the department’s newest member – CJ, a trained facility dog.

Bingaman said CJ, a just over 2-year-old English lab, fills a void in the agency’s Wellness Program.

He said the goal of a facility dog centers on a positive distraction for employees who sometimes find themselves under a considerable amount of stress.

Bingaman said the situation started with the county’s veterans affairs director, Stoney Summey. Bingaman said Summey mentioned early last year the benefits a facility dog might bring to the sheriff’s department.

Bingaman said he was sold on the idea, knowing how a similar situation with emotional-support canine Bolo at Central Dispatch benefitted its staff when the dog was secured and introduced last fall.

“We were waiting for the right dog to come along … we wanted to make sure it was going to be a good fit for our staff and for the dog itself,” Bingaman said.

He said CJ is housed with jail staff in the corrections area, and employees from each shift tend to CJ and his needs.

“We previously had working dogs in there, so we had an area set aside for them where we now have CJ,” he said, “So it was an easy integration.”

Facility dogs are companion dogs trained to enhance stress-management techniques and provide a calming presence.

Bingaman said he has found that the relationship between dogs and law-enforcement officers can have positive influence on the ability to prepare for and recover from stressful incidents.

The impact of CJ’s presence on the sheriff’s department staff is significant, he added.

“I didn’t know, originally, how effective this was going to be,” Bingaman said. “But every day, I walk over and see CJ or he comes over to the administrative side of the building, and I can actually see pressure being lifted from people. There’s just something about a dog and petting a dog that does that.”

Bingaman acknowledged St. Joseph County United Way, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #106 and St. Joseph County Veterans’ Affairs for logistical and financial support in bringing CJ to the department.

“We are grateful to the community partners who helped make this a part of our overall wellness program,” he said, noting CJ is always in the presence of staff members and never left alone with inmates.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sheriff department introduces new facility dog