Police department adds K9 unit to staff
By Diana Kuyper Special to The News-Sun March 25, 2011 8:42PM
Antioch police Officer Charles Smith leads the police department’s newly acquired 3-year-old German shepherd through an obstacle course at TOPS Dog Training in Grayslake. | Thomas Delany Jr.~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: May 11, 2011 4:37PM
ANTIOCH — Less than a month after village officials made a public plea for a drug sniffing dog, the police department has a 3-year-old German shepherd, thanks to organizations in Libertyville and Grayslake.
D.A.S. Charitable Fund, Libertyville, donated $7,800 to cover cost of the dog, training and initial care. The foundation is dedicated to animal welfare issues, said Dennis Ryan, trustee of the foundation. “We fund about nine or 10 other canine units in Lake County, including the sheriff’s office, Waukegan, Round Lake Beach and Zion.”
The dog, purchased at a discount because it had been part of another K9 unit that ended its program, is trained in drug detection, people search and cadaver search. The dog was trained and purchased from TOPS Canine Training in Grayslake.
Antioch Police Officer Chuck Smith will be the dog’s handler and is already in training.
“We are very excited,” said Police Chief Craig Somerville. “The dog is fully trained but young enough to give a full life of service. The dog and handler hit it off immediately, and Officer Smith took the dog home on the first day. He’s part of the department now.”
Last month, Trustee Dennis Crosby observed a drug bust with the department using a dog borrowed from another police department. He saw the role the dog played in a successful bust, and he then made it his mission to obtain funds to replace Coal, the police department’s K9 specialist that died a couple of years ago.
Since Coal died, police department funds have been too tight to purchase another dog, estimated to cost about $20,000 to purchase and train.
“Within a few days of making public our need for a dog, the calls started coming as residents responded. They clearly see a dog as an essential tool for fighting drugs and gangs,” Crosby said.
“Dennis started a wave of support,” Somerville said.
Word about Antioch’s need moved quickly, and within weeks the money was obtained, the dog purchased, and Round Lake Park District police refurbished the department’s K9 vehicle, and the village of Hainesville donated a light bar for the top of the vehicle.
“Our hats are off to these departments that just stepped up and helped us. It’s refreshing to see communities working together,” Somerville said.
Smith and the dog have already visited several elementary classrooms and started a contest to name the dog.
“We will choose the name from our student entries and announce it at the April 4 Village Board meeting, when the winner will have his or her photo taken with the dog and the dog is introduced to village officials,” Somerville said.
“I am elated that we are taking such a proactive stand to revive our K9 unit as part of our initiative to keep drugs out of our community,” said Mayor Lawrence Hanson. “A drug dog is a positive tool for community education and as a deterrent and a means to show we won’t tolerate drug traffic. We can do this now without affecting our budget and bottom line.”
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