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Arlington Heights retires police dog, promotes handler

A big crowd of friends, family and fellow members of the K-9 unit attended the Arlington Heights village board meeting on Monday to celebrate the retirement of one of its canine officers and the promotion of his handler.

"We are here tonight to recognize one very special person and one very special dog," said Village President Tom Hayes.

Marco, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, was recognized for his seven years of police work and more than 200 educational events in the village.

Marco was originally being trained to go overseas and look for bombs and snipers, McGrath said, but instead came to the Arlington Heights Police Department under badge number 221K in 2008.

During Marco's seven years with the department, he helped police locate wanted suspects and find a missing 5-year-old autistic child. He also assisted in the removal of more than $1.5 million in controlled substances and criminal assets from the village, Hayes said.

Maco will continue to live with the McGrath family.

Also on Monday, McGrath was promoted to sergeant. A member of the Arlington Heights Police Department since 1991, he was an officer on patrol, in schools, in criminal and juvenile investigations before starting to work with Marco and the K-9 unit.

McGrath is a previous recipient of the L.W. Calderwood Officer of the Year award, the Crime Stoppers Officer of the Year award and the Award of Valor.

"You exemplify, in my eyes, exactly what a police officer should be," said Trustee Thomas Glasgow.

McGrath said he and the other members of the Arlington Heights K-9 department get together on Tuesdays on their own time to train their dogs. "This isn't a 40-hour-a-week job; this is a 24/7 job," McGrath said.

In 2013, McGrath and Marco placed third in the patrol team competition of the Seminar and Certification Trials hosted by American Working Dogs and Vohne Liche Kennels in Indiana.

"He was an excellent partner," McGrath said. "It's absolutely the most phenomenal job I've ever had."

  On Monday, Arlington Heights police officer Jim McGrath was promoted to sergeant and his dog, Marco, retired. Melissa Silverberg/msilverberg@dailyherald.com
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