Franksville-based Utphall Construction donates concrete slab for new Oak Creek K-9 officer

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Franksville-based Utphall Construction has donated concrete and labor to create a slab for Oak Creek Police Department K-9 Mattis at his handler’s home as 8-year-old K-9 Stanley retires on Friday.

Utphall donated its time and labor for the concrete slab and crews will install fencing and a kennel for the K-9 officer, Oak Creek Police Captain Andrew Thorne told The Daily Reporter. K-9 Mattis will live with his handler, Oak Creek Police Officer Christopher Schuerman, Thorne noted.

“We sought quotes from local area concrete businesses and Utphall Construction was one of them. They volunteered to donate their labor and concrete to the city and police department,” Thorne added.

It took only a day for crews to dig space for the slab and fill it with concrete, company owner Shawn Utphall told The Daily Reporter.

“(The Oak Creek Police Department) contacted us because we’re a local company. They know we do good work and asked for a price and a bid to put this pad in. … Giving back to community, that’s what all of this is about,” Utphall added.

K-9 Mattis will begin his first shift on May 23 after taking a six-week training course with North Carolina-based Southern Police Canine Inc., Thorne said. He will step into second shift duty with Officer Schuerman and K-9 Stanley will officially retire Friday afternoon.

When a K-9 officer reaches the end of its career, the department first offers ownership to its handler, Thorne added. Oak Creek Police Sgt. Mike Musa will adopt K-9 Stanley as a family dog and will continue to be physically active.

There are three active K-9 officers for each shift in the Oak Creek Police Department and all serve as dual-purpose dogs, which means they do both patrol duty and are trained in narcotics and evidence searches, Thorne explained. K-9 Mattis is a mix of German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois.

“They’re very driven animals and they’re very active,” Thorne said. The breed is good for the job because of their intelligence and their determination, he added.

The department will help facilitate the dogs’ environment at home and while the dogs are sworn officers, they often stay outside of the house, Oak Creek Mayor and Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council President Dan Bukiewicz told The Daily Reporter.

It’s not uncommon for a local business to step up and help the department, Bukiewicz added. For example, Oak Creek-based Brentwood Animal Hospital has offered veterinarian work on K-9s throughout their careers.