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In the wake of K-9 death, tram to raise money for new police dog facility
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Sandia Peak Tram partnered with the city and Albuquerque Police Department to raise money for a K-9 training facility dedicated to Rebel, a police dog shot and killed by officers during an armed confrontation with a suspect last week.
Starting Monday, the tram will donate $1 from each ticket sold to APD’s K-9 Unit, Sandia Peak Tramway President Ben Abruzzo announced at a Friday news conference. The “Rides for Rebel” fundraiser will end June 29.
The facility will be named for Rebel, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois who was shot in the face by officers during a confrontation with Jorge Dominguez on May 29. Officers said Dominguez, 39, was armed with a loaded gun.
“It turns out that it was a situation of friendly fire, and that happens sometimes,” Mayor Tim Keller said during the news conference.
Rebel was the first police dog killed in the line of duty in the K-9 Unit’s history. Dominguez’s death marked the fifth fatal police shooting this year.
Police Chief Harold Medina estimated that the facility will cost between $150,000 and $200,000 to build. Medina expects the facility to be finished by the fall.
The facility will include obstacle courses and tunnels designed to acclimate animals to scenarios they’ll face in the field, Medina said. The city plans to build the training facility next to the Daniel Webster Park in the Northeast Heights, Keller said.
Once in operation, the facility will be open to all law enforcement with service dogs, including the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Medina said.
The K-9 Unit currently has five service dogs, though APD will begin the search for a new police dog once Rebel’s handler, Chris Brito, has time to mourn, Medina said.
“Our canines are there to preserve human life, and difficult decisions to deploy them are made each and every day,” Medina said. “There are many times I had to make the decision to deploy a dog, which put that dog in harm’s way. And it is very difficult for the general public at times to understand.”
