Guided by scent, powered by community

May 7, 2025

By La Crosse Community Foundation

How La Crosse’s K-9 unit supports community and dementia care

When a person with dementia goes missing, time matters. Confusion, memory loss, and vulnerability, especially in extreme temperatures, can quickly turn a wandering incident into a crisis.

That’s where La Crosse Police Officer Riley Carroll and his K-9 partner, Nash, come in.

K-9 tracking: A lifeline for missing seniors

Nash, a German shepherd trained in both narcotics detection and tracking, is one of several dogs serving the La Crosse Police Department’s K-9 Unit. While patrol work is a core part of the team’s job, one of the unit’s most vital, and perhaps least visible, roles is helping locate people with dementia who’ve gone missing. And when every minute counts, dogs like Nash can make all the difference.

Community support makes life-saving work possible

Thanks to gifts from community members, including a recent $2,000 contribution from the Kathy and Jack Lucey Family Fund for Alzheimer’s at La Crosse Area Community Foundation, the K-9 program can continue providing these life-saving services. The Lucey Fund was established by Kathy Lucey in honor of her husband Jack, who lived with Alzheimer’s, and is dedicated to supporting dementia-related services in the Coulee Region.

“Our K-9s are funded by the community, and that support goes directly into helping us keep people safe,” said Sergeant Ethan Purkapile, who leads the unit. “To have the community reach out, not having witnessed this program themselves, and donate to keep this fund and program going, really means everything to us.”

Purkapile said the donations to the La Crosse Police K-9 Program Fund help the department be ready for anything, including a wandering senior who needs help.

A cold night, a critical response

He recalls one such case to which the K-9 unit responded on a bitterly cold night. A man with dementia had quietly left his home, and by the time police were called, he’d been missing for more than an hour. Officers deployed a K-9 to begin a track. Despite weather challenges and overlapping scent trails from others searching, the unit remained on the case until the individual was located — shivering but alive — on someone’s doorstep.

“That person had wandered quite a distance across the city,” said Purkapile. “It was a success in terms of the response and the use of our resources — including the dog.”

It’s the kind of outcome that underscores the value of early intervention and specialized tools like K-9 tracking. It also highlights the community’s role in making those tools possible.

“We want families to know they can call us right away,” Purkapile said. “We’re here to help. The sooner we’re contacted, the better chance we have of locating someone quickly and safely.”

Building skilled teams and unbreakable bonds

The K-9 Unit has been an important part of the department since 2008 and continues to make a broad impact today. In addition to patrol dogs like Nash, the department has therapy-style dogs like Hank and Cheddar, who work in schools and support officer wellness.

Dogs in the program are carefully matched with handlers and undergo four months of intensive training. Nash, for example, was born in the Czech Republic and came to Wisconsin through a trusted trainer in Minnesota. Nearly all tracking dogs are German shepherds.

“The dogs are chosen based on their drive, temperament, and ability to bond with a handler,” said Carroll. “They’re extremely smart, and they think the training is a game. Once they understand the game, they’ve got it.”

For Carroll, the connection with Nash goes far beyond the badge. “Even now, I feed him by hand every day, so all of his food comes from me. That’s just an aspect of building that bond — where he knows I’m his person.”

K-9 success stories start with community generosity

As both a fundholder and grant recipient at LACF, the La Crosse Police Department’s K-9 Program exemplifies how donor generosity powers essential, behind-the-scenes work. Whether it’s a narcotics deployment, a community event, or a race against the clock to find a missing elder, the community is part of every success story.

“It’s fantastic that we’re talking about this. It really does encourage people to call us quickly when something goes wrong, and it raises awareness about what tools we have,” said Purkapile. “And the fact that someone like Kathy Lucey — who’s lived this — chose to support the K-9 fund? That means a lot.”