• The Village of Cadiz Police Department in Ohio has a new K9 unit thanks to grants from MPLX and Encino Energy that covered the costs of the dog and accessories.
• The police department has depended on K9 units to help fight crime and asked the community to assist with funding after the last K9 retired.
• Ron Carter II and his new police dog Tyson spent six months training and are now working together in the community.

The Village of Cadiz Police Department in Ohio credits its K9 program for assisting in making hundreds of drug arrests and successfully tracking down suspects on the run.

“My K9 probably saved my life on one occasion,” said Lt. Ron Carter II. “While on a traffic stop, a suspect pulled out a weapon as my back was turned, and my K9 exited the cruiser to engage the suspect, alerting me to turn around and take control of the suspect.”

The K9 unit was responsible for keeping this community of 3,000 residents and numerous businesses safe. A K9 unit can check for the presence of illegal narcotics, aid in missing persons investigations, conduct searches, conduct building searches, track criminals who flee on foot, and, most importantly, serve as a deterrent for criminal activity.

“The Cadiz Police Department had been fortunate to have four prior K9 units over the past 22 years, but unfortunately when our last K9 retired we did not have funding to keep the program going,” said Lt. Carter. “This has been a huge and major concern and problem as we are in the middle of a drug pandemic with the rise and use of methamphetamine.”

The police department turned to the community for help funding another K9, which costs $14,500 plus another $8,000 for a temperature-monitored cruiser kennel and accessories. That was not something they could acquire within the current budget.

MPLX’s Gathering and Processing (G&P) segment and Encino Energy (Utica oil and gas producer) both made donations to cover the costs, giving $10,000 and $12,500, respectively. Lt. Carter received his new police dog Tyson, a 1-year-old Belgian Malinois, shortly after. He brought Tyson by the MPLX East Operations office in Cadiz to say thank you. They spent six weeks training before they began working together in the community. MPLX leaders shared that they appreciate the work of the police department and their dedication to keeping the community safe. 

MPLX’s Cadiz Complex is part of its Utica natural gas operations. The complex is responsible for processing and de-ethanization.