A new cage for K-9 Officer Cayman
STAND T.A.L.L. donates safety carrier to Black Mountain Police department
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
December 9, 2022
Cayman, who joined the Black Mountain Police Department as its sole K-9 officer in 2018, received a new travel carrier from the nonprofit organization STAND T.A.L.L. Photo by Fred McCormick
A four-year veteran of the Black Mountain Police Department will patrol from the safety of a new vehicle upgrade, thanks to a Western N.C. nonprofit organization. STAND T.A.L.L., which raises funds for area law enforcement agencies, donated a $3,000 travel carrier for use by Cayman, the department’s sole K-9 officer.
The organization’s president, Ron Kauffman, and vice president, Sharon Hanson, visited the department, Dec. 7, where they were received by Chief Steve Parker, Major Chris Kuhn, Lieutenant Chris Staton, K-9 Officer Logan Newhouse and Cayman.
“Ms. Hanson has been the leader of all our K-9 protection efforts in the counties we serve for the past four years,” Kauffman said. “We’re hopeful that the citizens of Black Mountain will step up and donate to help us pay for this piece of equipment.”
Black Mountain Police Officer Logan Newhouse and his K-9 partner Cayman meet with Sharon Hanson and Ron Kauffman of STAND T.A.L.L., Dec. 7, as the nonprofit organization donated a travel carrier to the department. Photo by Fred McCormick
Staton, who served as a K-9 handler for the department prior to Cayman’s arrival in 2018, contacted STAND T.A.L.L. regarding the department’s need for a new carrier. The equipment was installed in a Dodge Durango that will replace the department’s Ford F-150 as its full-time K-9 vehicle.
The carrier, which is climate controlled and protects the Belgian Malinois while in motion, allows Cayman to safely perform his duties, which include narcotics detection, tracking missing persons, apprehension of suspected criminals and officer protection.
“There are two thermostats, one on each side of the kennel, and they read the temperatures on both sides,” said Newhouse, who has served as Cayman’s partner since the K-9’s arrival at the department. “This one will alert even if one side gets too hot. It beeps the horn, lowers the windows and automatically turn the fan on.”
The carrier is an essential tool for the department’s K-9, according to Kuhn.
“This piece of equipment represents a significant investment, and one that departments aren’t always capable of making,” he said. “It’s an item that can be budgeted for, but this year, as we replaced the pickup truck, we wanted to find a way to keep the cost down for the public. We’re very thankful to STAND T.A.L.L. for stepping up and helping with this expense.”
STAND T.A.L.L. raises fund to provide specialized equipment for law enforcement personnel, K-9 corps, mental health and stress management programs and tuition support for students in the Basic Law Enforcement Training program enrolled in the Blue Ridge Community College Criminal Justice Department. The organization donated a field trauma kit for Cayman to BMPD in the spring of 2021.
For more details about the nonprofit organization, including donation information, visit thestandtall.org.