Tempo flopped on the chambers floor inside the Wayne County Administration Building when not sniffing around or checking on proceedings during the March 25 Wayne County commissioners meeting.
The 2-year-old Belgian Malinois was purchased for $5,100 by the Milton-Washington Township Fire Department Association for training as a human remains detection dog and was the topic of discussion to begin the meeting. Matt Bartlett, Tempo’s handler and the department’s chief, requested commissioners support the search program financially and with a used sheriff’s department vehicle that could serve as Tempo’s transportation and as a command vehicle.
Bartlett said a Jan. 24 house fire that killed three people in Cambridge City intensified his desire to build a search team. Indiana’s lack of such teams required that a Cincinnati-area team respond that day. Tempo would serve a rectangular region stretching north to south from Portland to Seymour and east to west from the Ohio state line to west of U.S. 31 in Carmel.
Ross Keasling, a regional fire inspector for the state fire marshal, said he investigates about a dozen deadly fires annually and uses a search dog about five times in his 11 counties. Tempo’s region would also include parts of four other fire investigators’ territories, making Tempo a “great asset” at the state level and local level, Keasling said.
After the fire, Bartlett reiterated his desire to Ultimate Canine in Westfield. Tempo soon became available, because the laid-back dog was not aggressive enough to become a police K-9. Tempo and Bartlett bonded, and the partnership formed. Human remains detection training has begun, and will take about a year to achieve certification.
Bartlett said Tempo then could be trained to perform live searches for people who wander off, and cited the examples of autistic children or adults with dementia.
Major Alan Moore, the sheriff’s department’s chief deputy, said searches are labor intensive and costly, so a dog could result in significant savings. Searches also require multiple dogs taking turns, Moore said, because the dogs tire from continuous sniffing.
The fire association has raised nearly $13,000 in donations for training, insurance, equipment and more; however, Bartlett’s written presentation requests the county contribute between $5,000 and $10,000 for training. It also requests the vehicle donation.
Commissioner Brad Dwenger agreed search dogs are needed, and Commissioner Aaron Roberts said he’s most comfortable with Bartlett applying for county opioid settlement funds. Commissioners said they would discuss the funding.
The vehicle donation request will proceed through the county’s fleet committee.
Other issues
- Steve Higinbotham, the county administrator, presented an ordinance that would vacate plotted public ways in Abington that were never developed. The county’s plan commission unanimously recommended that commissioners approve the ordinance. A public hearing will be scheduled before commissioners conduct a vote.
- Commissioners discussed paying for county staff members in the administration building to become notary publics. Only one notary public remains in the building to serve county departments and the public.
- Commissioners signed an interlocal agreement with Centerville that provides the town two electronic vehicle speed signs.
- Commissioners unanimously agreed to permit Drug Free Wayne County Partnership to use $5,655 designated for a youth coordinator on other projects.
A version of this article appeared in the April 1 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.