SAN CLEMENTE : Donor Pays Way for Police Spokesdog

The Police Department is preparing for the arrival of a new officer: McGruff, the canine spokesman for crime prevention.

An anonymous donation allowed the city to purchase a costume for the trench coat-clad bloodhound who is famous for saying, “Take a bite out of crime.” With blinking eyes and a moving mouth, McGruff will provide safety tips from recorded cassette tapes.

The $1,330 donation was delivered to the city clerk’s office by a woman who is believed to have called earlier requesting information about how to purchase the animated dog. A note accompanying the cashier’s check read, “For the safety of our children,” said Joanne Baade, deputy city clerk.

“We’re just very thrilled,” said Baade, one of nine city employees who serves on a committee that solicits community donations for city projects. “It’s going to benefit so many children.”

The committee went to the City Council last October with a list of 44 items the city needed but could not afford. With the council’s approval, the committee began requesting community donations for specific items such as trees and park benches.

The priciest item is a $150,000 mobile command post, a communications operation center that would be used during disaster emergencies. The city now uses a mobile home for that purpose, Baade said.

Donors may also contribute to a “wish fund” used to buy items selected by volunteers.

To date, the community has donated more than $2,000 to purchase flowers to landscape the municipal golf course, smoke detectors and batteries to be given to senior citizens, and a portable stage for the community center.

With $720 left in the fund, the committee put the word out in late July that the city needed $1,330 more to buy its own McGruff. San Clemente had been borrowing a McGruff from Huntington Beach, Baade said.