New Des Plaines police dog helps recover $30,000 in drug money
Des Plaines' new police dog helped recover $30,000 in drug seizure funds just days after hitting the streets for the first time.
But it's the simple things that bring Bane happiness.
"When he does something good, he gets his toy," said Officer Steven Dickson, a 7-year veteran of the force. "When he does something bad, he doesn't get his toy. His toy means the world to him."
The rubber tug-o-war object is the reward given to Bane, an 18-month-old Austrian Shepherd, when he successfully finds drugs or other objects.
Dickson and Bane put on a search demonstration during a city council meeting earlier this month in which the K9 sniffed his way around the council chambers to find two hidden objects.
Bane and his handler recently returned from a 12-week training program at the Illinois State Police Academy in Springfield and Pawnee, Illinois, where he was trained in drug detection, tracking and object search.
The K9 is Des Plaines' first police dog in some time, officials say. Aldermen requested during last year's budget discussions that a new dog be brought in, and about $173,000 was budgeted to pay the cost of the handler officer's salary and benefits, and costs related to the K9 himself. The latter is paid through police asset forfeiture funds, such as drug money and property recovered during investigations.