Warrenville's first police dog, Bandit, retiring

Matt Komar was a young patrolman nine years ago when he approached his superiors at the Warrenville Police Department with an unexpected request.

Komar, then 25 and distinctly lacking experience in training dogs, wanted to become a K-9 handler.

Several months and $3,500 tax dollars later, Komar met his four-legged partner, Bandit, for the first time. The 11/2-year-old German shepherd came from the Czech Republic and had no previous training.

"He didn't even have his 'sit' and 'stay' commands," Komar recalls. "That's how green he was. So we were working obedience from the very beginning."

The "green" dog and his just as inexperienced handler overcame those shortcomings to become Warrenville's first police K-9 unit, officially starting on patrol in May 2002.

Now, as they approach their eighth year of tracking down bad guys and sniffing out narcotics, Komar and Bandit are preparing to end their partnership.

Bandit, who will be 10 in July, will go into retirement sometime over the summer. And Komar, now a 34-year-old corporal, will go back to patrolling solo.

"It will be very different," Komar said. "It's going to be weird being able to look in the rearview mirror and actually see out the back of the car - and not see a big furry face."

As a testament to the program's success, Warrenville trustees have agreed to spend about $11,000 to buy and train a dog to replace Bandit. Another officer will be assigned to become that dog's handler.

Once the new dog is selected in the spring, it will need weeks of training with its handler. That will be followed by a short transitional period where Warrenville will have both Bandit and his replacement working.

Still, Chief Ray Turano said the plan is to have Bandit retire soon after the new pooch is ready.

"The positive contributions Bandit has made over the course of his career are just innumerable," Turano said. "And when we do have a retirement date, we're certainly going to make that known to the public and honor Bandit with some recognition for all his great work."

While it's sad to think he and Bandit will no longer be partners, Komar said he's pleased to know the K-9 program will continue.

"It means a ton to me because it's something I put together," he said. "I kind of feel like it's my baby. I am just happy it's continuing. I will definitely miss it, but hopefully I will have a hand in it in some shape or form."

Thinking back to when he and Bandit started, Komar admits he wasn't sure they were going to make it through the 22 weeks of training.

But as the first course - eight weeks of narcotics detection training - progressed, Komar was amazed how quickly he and Bandit learned to work together.

"That was the beauty of it," he said. "You're both getting trained. It's not just him. It's me, too."

Komar and Bandit also completed 14 weeks in basic canine training that taught everything from basic obedience and handler protection to tracking and suspect apprehension.

Those skills have earned them many commendations through the years, including once helping West Chicago police solve a home invasion. In that case, the suspect confessed after Bandit reverse-tracked him from the house to the area where police found him more than two miles away.

Komar said the best part of the job is doing demonstrations at schools and visiting hospitals. In December, they participated in the DuPage County Police Association's annual Christmas Holiday Toy Run - handing out toys to youngsters at five DuPage hospitals.

While Bandit is a highly trained police dog, some children misunderstand his skill set.

"They'll ask, 'Does he do tricks? Does he roll over?" Komar said. "I tell them, 'No. He pretty much stays and that's about it.'"

While Bandit doesn't beg for treats, he's a very social dog with a great personality, Komar said.

"You couldn't ask for a better combination," Komar said. "Because when we're at work, he's at work and he's on. But when we're off duty, he acts like a house pet. He's very relaxed."

Whether Bandit continues living with Komar at his Naperville home after his retirement will be decided by the Warrenville City Council because he's still considered city property.

Chief Turano has recommended Bandit be sold to Komar.

"I couldn't think of anybody that would be a more suitable owner than Cpl. Komar," Turano said.

Komar strongly agrees.

"I couldn't give him up," he said. "There's no way. He's a family member. He's like a child almost."