Natchez Police are looking for some help in funding training for another office.

You see, NPD’s K9 officer is about to be sidelined due to age and medical ailments so they’d like to get a new dog purchased, trained and acclimated before the other K9 retires.

Police estimate they need approximately $15,000 for a new officer. Last week, many students at ACCS helped the cause by paying $2 each to have a free dress day — no uniforms.

This and other fundraisers like it will be needed to help purchase the dog since the city didn’t put a replacement officers in the city’s current budget.

Obviously, we always believe our first responders should be equipped with virtually any reasonable tool they may need to protect and serve our community.

If having the public provide some funding for the dog’s purchase is the best route to quickly acquiring a new K9 officer, so be it.

We do, however, need to point out that other nearby law enforcement agencies have K9 dogs that Natchez could borrow if necessary.

This need underscores the need to consolidate law enforcement in our community.

Just like when our community had two competing hospitals that effectively waged a medical arms race with one another for equipment and services, the same thing happens with law enforcement as well.

Let’s get the dog, but let’s also map out a plan for bringing all law officers under one roof soon.