Lake County Sheriff's K-9 unit revived with donation to pay for three dogs and training

Lake County Sheriff's Office is set to reboot its K-9 program with three dogs and handlers.

Restoring the program was made possible by a $37,800 grant from the Libertyville-based D.A.S. Charitable Fund for the Preservation of Feline Animal Life that will be used for the purchase and training of three German shepherds.

"Replacing aging K-9s is costly but necessary to maintain optimum safety and operability," Sheriff Mark Curran said.

Dogs are tasked with tracking, detecting contraband and locating suspects, missing people, bodies or objects.

The sheriff's office had two K-9 teams until 2012 when one dog was retired. The program essentially was put out of service last fall when the remaining dog and handler retired.

But there was considerable interest in the revived unit. Deputies Craig Somerville, Dwight Arrowood and John Forlenza recently were selected from among 13 candidates. Deputies who wanted to be considered had to submit a resume and letter of interest, detail why the program was necessary and what they planned to do in the position. Candidates had two sets of interviews with command staff, with their accomplishments and backgrounds heavily considered in the decision, according to the sheriff's office.

The German shepherd breed was chosen because of its intelligence, adaptability to the climate and drive and other characteristics needed for the required tasks, according to the sheriff's office.

Some suburban police departments, such as Gurnee, have expanded canine units. Gurnee has two new canines and they rotate shifts to cover more hours. The dogs and training were also covered by D.A.S., which donated $55,480.

The TOPS Police K-9 Training Program in Grayslake will choose the dogs and match them with handlers based on compatibility. The program involves 450 to 500 hours of training, and dogs are pre-trained for two months before being assigned to handlers. Dogs remain with handlers for the rest of their careers.

Lake County middle school students will be part of the program by participating in a contest to name the dogs. Students must be enrolled in a middle school within the jurisdiction of the sheriff's office. K-9 names must be one or two syllables. Entries can be mailed to the sheriff's office, attention Rookie K-9 Naming Contest, 25 S. Martin Luther King Jr., Ave., Waukegan, 60085 or emailed to RookieK-9@lakecountyil.gov.

Entries must be received by March 4. Winners will be announced April 6.