Lake County Sheriff’s K9 teams earn top honors, qualify for national competition

Two Lake County Sheriff's Office K9 teams earned top honors and qualified for national competition after competing in the 2026 United States Police Canine Association Region 5 Certification Trials, Patrol Dog Trial, and Detection Dog Trial in Evansville, Indiana.

Deputy John Forlenza and police dog Lux, along with Deputy Kevin Harris and police dog Zeus, represented the Lake County Sheriff's Office at the regional event hosted by the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office. A total of 26 police dog teams from Illinois, Indiana and Ohio participated in the competition.

The regional trials are scored events that test a police dog team's proficiency, reliability, and performance in real-world law enforcement scenarios.

Both Lake County Sheriff’s Office teams successfully certified in the following disciplines:

• Patrol Dog 1 (Obedience, Evidence Search, Suspect Search, and Apprehension)

• Cadaver Detection

• Narcotics Detection

• Tracking

Police dog Lux delivered an exceptional performance, earning First Place Overall Patrol Dog and capturing first-place finishes in:

• Obedience

• Evidence Search

• Suspect Search

• Criminal Apprehension

• Criminal Apprehension with Gunfire

• Narcotics Detection Vehicle Searches (tied for first place)

In addition, Lux successfully completed Detection Dog Certifications in:

• Narcotics Detection Room Searches

• Tracking

• Cadaver Detection

Police dog Zeus also finished extremely strong, earning several top finishes, including:

• Second Place Overall Patrol Dog

• Second Place Suspect Search

• Second Place Combined Search

• Third Place Criminal Apprehension

• Third Place Obedience

As a result of their performances, both teams qualified to compete at the 2026 USPCA National Patrol Dog Trials, which will be held in September in Abilene, Texas.

Sheriff John D. Idleburg praised both teams saying, “These accomplishments are a testament to the dedication, professionalism, and countless hours of training invested by Deputy Forlenza, Deputy Harris, K9 Lux, and K9 Zeus. While we are proud of their success at this competition, these results also reflect the strength of our entire K9 Unit. Every day, our canine teams make a tremendous impact throughout Lake County, from helping protect children and other vulnerable victims, to keeping community events safe through explosive detection, locating missing and endangered people, and apprehending dangerous offenders. We are proud of our entire K9 Unit and look forward to seeing Lux and Zeus represent Lake County on the national stage.”