Naperville's longest-serving canine hanging up his leash

Eddie Corneliusen's commute to work will be a lonely one Thursday evening. It will be the first time he's made the drive without his canine partner, Kairo, since 2000.

Kairo, the Naperville Police Department's longest-serving police dog, worked his last patrol Wednesday. He is retiring to take on the full-time role of Corneliusen family pet.

“I don't know which of us will have the tougher time,” Corneliusen said. “He doesn't have the same spring in his step and agility he did as a puppy, but every day when I get ready for work and put the uniform on, his head stands a little higher, a little more proud, and he gets excited to go work.”

The pair have worked together since 2000 when Corneliusen became the handler of the 19-month-old German shepherd. Along with general patrol duties, the pair help with building searches, evidence and suspect searches, tracking and narcotic detection.

“They don't often last as long as Kairo has or be as good as he has for so long,” Chief David Dial said. “And he couldn't ask for a better handler than Eddie. They are great partners.”

Corneliusen said one of Kairo's finer moments came a few years ago when he sniffed out $250,000 in drug money from a concealed compartment of a minivan headed for Mexico. Kairo was also instrumental in capturing a suspect wanted for murder in another state.

“We got word that the suspect was in our area and on the run, so we put Kairo on him and he found him,” Corneliusen said. “And that guy saw Kairo and decided it wasn't in his best interest to run anymore.”

Starting Thursday, however, the only people Kairo will be chasing are Corneliusen's three children.

“At work he's nothing but business, but he's also a great family dog who's very protective of the kids,” he said. “He's going to need a lot of attention from them to keep his mind off missing work.”

Corneliusen said he, too, will miss working in the canine unit and said he has been vocal about having to leave.

Department policy states an officer can serve only one term to ensure others get the opportunity.

“It's going to be tough. I'm not at all looking forward to leaving the unit, but it's a policy and I'll work through it,” he said. “I've always had dogs since I was a kid, and I love the interaction, so I'm going to try to stay involved.”

The department has maintained two dog teams, each consisting of a handler and German Shepherd, since 1980.

Dial said the officers and dogs spend a considerable amount of time training in order to maintain the proficiency of the team.

The team undergoes a period of basic training at the start of their partnership that lasts up to 10 weeks.

The teams also attend periodic seminars to increase their expertise.

Both teams are certified by the North American Police Work Dog Association in the patrol and narcotic detection specialties.

“If we could afford it, we'd have several more than two, because they're that valuable,” Dial said. “And if they could all be as valuable a team member as Kairo, that would be great.”

Adds Corneliusen: “The bond is tight. I think I spend more time with that dog than I do with my family, so it's hard to not develop that bond.

“After spending so many hours together, it becomes fairly impressive to see what you can do with a dog. You know what he's going to do before he does it and he recognizes my body language and always knows what my next move will be.”

Sometime in the coming weeks, Dial said the department will have a ceremony honoring Kairo and his accomplishments.

“That's when he'll get his retirement badge that he can proudly wear on his collar,” Dial said.

Officer Eric Muska is in training with Kairo's replacement, a German shepherd puppy named Niko.

Naperville canines through the years

The police department established its first K-9 unit in 1980. Here are the dogs and their handlers:

<b>1980-84</b>: Baron and John Bootz

<b>1985-90</b>: Dino and Gary Bolt

<b>1986-1994</b>: Perry and Mike Brian

<b>1991-1999</b>: Kaiser and Joe Matchett

<b>1994-2001</b>: Taz and Steve Baker

<b>1999-2004</b>: Hamr and Dave Cribaro

<b>2000-present</b>: Kairo and Eddie Corneliusen

<b>2005</b>: Soldier and Chris Sherwin