Sussex County Council members pledged district funds to support a Millsboro Police Department K‑9 program during the July 15 meeting after Chief Brian Callaway outlined plans for a community‑oriented, single‑purpose drug‑detection dog.

Chief Callaway said he wanted a dog that could detect drugs and still be community‑friendly during outreach and school demonstrations, and that the department intends to send a designated handler and the dog to the Delaware State Police K‑9 Academy in September.

The department said it received $6,750 in Criminal Justice Council (CJC) burn‑grant funds and sought additional county support to cover veterinary bills, equipment and other startup costs. After the presentation, Councilman Riley pledged $3,000 from his discretionary account, and other council members pledged contributions from district funds totaling $4,000 (Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 each pledged $1,000), bringing the council‑pledged total to $7,000. The meeting record shows the motion to fund the Millsboro K‑9 program passed by unanimous council vote.

Chief Callaway said the K‑9 will be made available to other agencies in Sussex County, and the department will return to council after the dog and handler graduate to introduce them publicly.

Why this matters: The grant and council pledges support a local law‑enforcement capacity to detect illegal drugs and provide outreach; the department framed the program as both an operational and community‑engagement resource that will be available to neighboring agencies.

This was a council funding approval via pledged district contributions; the department reported it had also secured other grant funding and scheduled academy training.