Westfield police officers and their K9 partners are getting their own week of celebration this month, with a dog park and bar in town turning its taps and patio into a fundraiser for the department's working dogs. Police & K9 Appreciation Week runs September 13 through 19, with the bulk of the festivities centered at Crate Escapes, an indoor-outdoor dog park and bar located at 18595 Carousel Lane.
According to the Westfield Police Department, the week kicks off with Officer Appreciation Night on September 16, running from 5 to 9 p.m. The event invites the public to meet local officers and their families, who will receive complimentary pizza and soda, while attendees can sign a “Thankful Board” with messages of gratitude. Community members can also snag a free Dog Day Pass to Crate Escapes with a $15 donation or an item from the K9 Unit's wish list. Crate Escapes itself opened in 2025 as Indiana's first combined dog park and bar, according to the Towne Post Network, with a 1.5-acre space featuring a 20-tap self-pour beer and wine wall alongside dog daycare services — a natural fit for a week centered on canine officers.
The week wraps up September 19 with a Foam PAWty & K9 Demonstration, featuring foam runs at noon, 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. alongside a live police K9 presentation. Silent auction winners will be announced that day as well, with all proceeds benefiting Westfield's Police K9 Unit, per the department's Facebook announcement.
A Five-Dog Force Built on Community Support
Westfield Police currently maintains five active K9 handler teams, pairing officers with Belgian Malinois and German Shorthaired Pointers certified in narcotics detection, tracking, apprehension, and explosives detection, according to the City of Westfield. The dogs live with their handlers and typically serve five to seven years on active duty.
That roster has been built in large part through donations and partnerships rather than city budget alone. K9 RB, a Belgian Malinois handled by K9 Coordinator Sgt. Dewey Abney, was procured and trained through a $25,000 donation from the Zionsville-based AES Restaurant Foundation in August 2024, as reported by The Reporter, which noted the foundation was granted naming rights for the dog after filling a local fundraising shortfall. Sgt. Abney previously handled K9 Pilot, who was honored posthumously by the Westfield City Council and police department in a plaque presentation covered by Hoodline last spring.
Another of the department's dogs, K9 Billy, a German Shorthaired Pointer specializing in explosives detection and area searches, was funded through a public safety partnership between the City of Westfield and the Indianapolis Colts. Billy was imported from Hungary before completing specialized detection certification, according to the city.
Why the Fundraising Matters
Standing up and equipping a police K9 unit is not cheap. Establishing a single dog typically costs an estimated $20,000 to $30,000, according to K9 Officers, including $8,000 to $12,000 to purchase the animal and a roughly equal amount for initial vetting, boarding, and specialized handler training. Additional gear, like Kevlar vests and vehicle heat alarms, runs another $1,500 to $2,000 per item — costs that make grants like the AES Restaurant Foundation's donation and events like this week's fundraiser more than symbolic gestures.
Those investments have paid off operationally. In March, a Westfield drug operation led to the seizure of approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine after K9 Scout gave a positive indication on a suspicious postal package, a case Hoodline previously covered that saw detectives obtain a search warrant for a residence on Emerald Green Circle. Earlier this summer, Westfield's K9 teams also competed in the Ultimate Canine K9 Olympics in Zionsville, going up against 40 law enforcement and military Special Forces teams across 14 tactical venues, according to the department's Facebook page.
Legal Protections for Working Dogs
Indiana law treats harm to a police K9 seriously. Under Indiana Code § 35-46-3-11, striking or mistreating a law enforcement animal is a Class A misdemeanor that escalates to a Level 6 felony if the animal suffers death or permanent impairment, according to FindLaw. Courts must also order convicted offenders to reimburse law enforcement agencies for veterinary and replacement expenses — a legal backstop for the same kind of costly training and equipment that community fundraisers like this week's events are designed to offset.
The appreciation week also arrives as the department eyes its next major investment: a $35 million, 11.7-acre headquarters facility on Grand Park Boulevard, which broke ground earlier this year and is scheduled for completion in 2027. Hoodline previously reported that city officials calculated renovating the existing State Road 32 facility would have cost $30 million without meeting modern operational needs — part of a broader pattern of growth in Westfield's public safety infrastructure that this month's K9 fundraiser fits neatly alongside.
