The Plymouth County Comfort Dog Program (PCCDP): An Innovative Strategy for a County-Wide, Mutual Aid, Regional Response Comfort Dog Team

Saturday, October 19, 2024

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Location: 253A

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Michael R. Miksch

Chief of Police
Hanson (MA) Police Department
Hanson, Massachusetts, United States

Speaker(s)

Jennifer Cantwell

Project Director COSSUP Drug Endangered Children's/Comfort Dog Grant
Plymouth County District Attorney's Office
Brockton, Massachusetts, United States
Tom Ford

Police Officer
Hingham (MA) Police Department
Hingham, Massachusetts, United States
David Jones

Chief of Police
Hingham (MA) Police Department
Hingham, Massachusetts, United States
Leslie Sattler, Ph.D., LICSW

Associate Professor of Social Work
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, Massachusetts, United States
Minhtram Tran

Chief Legal Counsel for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office
Timothy J. Cruz, J.D.

Plymouth County District Attorney
Plymouth County District Attorney's Office
Brockton, Massachusetts, United States

Comfort dogs are proving to be a tremendous asset to police by providing comfort services to those in their community who have been touched by a traumatic event. A Comfort dog’s presence is effective at calming individuals so that they can focus and communicate more openly. PCCDP’s comfort dogs are present in the county schools lending support to all students. Comfort dogs break down barriers with at-risk youth, those who are drug endangered, and those affected by past trauma. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office received grant funding to create a county-wide regional response team of comfort dogs to provide comfort dog mutual aid to all Plymouth County communities. Funding was provided for a case study, cruiser equipment, training for dogs and handlers, and veterinary care/insurance.