WESTMORELAND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND SHERIFF DEBATING OVER K-9 PROGRAM

Westmoreland County Commissioners and Sheriff James Albert are debating over whether the sheriff can unilaterally start a K-9 program.  The Trib reports that Albert deployed the K-9 program after months of talking with commissioners over costs and approvals needed to put an explosive-detecting dog and its handler on the job.  Commissioners responded that the county will “review all options it has available to it” in the closing line of a two-page letter that contained a warning to the sheriff that he had no authority to unilaterally implement the program.