Sheriff's office gets new canine

There's a new four-legged officer on the prowl at the Randolph County Sheriff's Office.

K-9 Deputy "Dano" and his handler, Deputy Eric Hamilton, graduated from the Illinois State Police K-9 Academy on Nov. 6.

The 10-week training course certified Dano, a dual-purpose police dog, in the purposes of narcotics detection and suspect apprehension and tracking.

Dano is also certified in cadaver and article searches and is the agency's first K-9 officer since 2002.

Previously, deputies have had to rely on dogs from area police departments for assistance.

"He's a great tool and an asset to have," said Randolph County Sheriff Shannon Wolff. "I think as far as the tracking and the drugs, he brings a new level.

"I know he's well-trained, I know Eric's well-trained. I know we have a great canine policy that we follow."

Wolff said a private donor recently stepped up to purchase a bullet-and-stab resistant vest for Dano. While describing the 18-month-old Belgian malinois - who was born in the Netherlands - as "social," Hamilton also stressed the dog's strong work ethic.

"He knows when it's business time," Hamilton said. "When I send him into a building, he knows his purpose is to find (the suspects) and bite them."

Being from the Netherlands, Dano understands commands in Dutch, German and English.

"The purpose of that is because we don't want a bad guy using our commands," Hamilton said.

Dano was purchased for $8,000 from Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Ind. The dog's purchase and training was paid for by drug assessment fees and seizures from drug arrests.

"I think some very important things for our office will be narcotics," Wolff said on Dano's primary duties as a member of the Sheriff's office. "I think it's important to have one for not only fugitive tracking, but also missing people.

"If we have a child who walks away or an elderly person gets confused, I think they're important to have also."

Hamilton said the "meat and potatoes" of canine work is drug work.

"As long as I'm there for a traffic stop, I can take him around any vehicle I want to," he said. "There's a lot of legal issues there, but basically any traffic stop that I'm on, he can be there."

Teasing, striking or tampering with police animals is a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 4 felony (one to three years in prison) for subsequent offenses. Injuring a police dog is a Class 4 felony, while killing one is a Class 3 (two to five years) felony.

The sheriff's office has also been awarded the Howard G. Buffet Foundation K-9 Grant, which will allow the agency to purchase a new Chevrolet Tahoe to serve as its K-9 vehicle.

"It's probably the best job of law enforcement, because we see a lot more high-risk stuff," Hamilton said.