After more than a decade without a canine unit, Evanston will once again sniff out drug dealers and investigate bomb threats with the help of a police dog.
Thanks to an anonymous $60,000 gift and contributions from local businesses and organizations, the Evanston Police Department can now afford to reinstate the canine program, which was cut for budget reasons in the mid-1990s, Police Chief Frank Kaminski said. EPD established its first canine unit in 1990 and used the dog to track evidence and detect narcotics.
In the past decade, EPD has borrowed police dogs from other departments when necessary. By the end of this summer, Evanston will have its own canine to use in drug searches or missing person investigations, Kaminski said.
“It’s going to help us be more operationally efficient, especially when we deal with drug searches,” Kaminski said.
The original donation will pay the handler’s salary and cover the dog’s medical needs and training, Kaminski said. EPD is looking at 14 possible candidates for the handler position.
The department has tentatively named the dog Jack. Earlier this month, the anonymous donor presented Evanston police with a check to help jump-start the program. The donor requested the dog be named after former alderman Jack Korshak, who passed away in 1997.
The department is looking for a German Shepherd, who will most likely be trained to search for drugs, but might be used instead for bomb and missing person searches, Kaminski said. Once selected and `trained, the dog will go out on routine patrols and appear at Northwestern functions, such as football games and other large venue events.
Northwestern contributed $25,000 to the rebirth of the program. NU officials said they’re uncertain about how useful a dog will be on campus, but they expect to get some use out of the new resource. Lucile Krasnow, a special assistant for community relations at NU, worked closely in the donation process. If the dog comes on campus, it will mostly be used in nondrug situations, she said.
“Safety is our first interest in looking into what duties the dog will perform,” Krasnow said.
Although the program is young, it has elicited support from other local groups. Owners of the Hungry Pup, 941 Chicago Ave., pledged a lifetime supply of food to Jack, even after he retires.
“It’s our duty to make sure the dog will be cared for,” said Hungry Pup co-owner Dave Gulyas. “We’ll make sure the dog is not only fed, but fed well.”
While Gulyas plans to take care of Jack’s stomach, an Evanston volunteer at Illinois Vest-a-Dog is making sure he will be well-clothed. The volunteer has raised about $100 so far in an effort to buy a bullet- and stab-resistant vest for Jack, said Lee Harrison, director of Illinois Vest-a-Dog. The organization is a nonprofit that provides police dogs with protective gear. A typical vest sells for $825.
The Autobarn Volkswagen car dealership, 1012 Chicago Ave.,promised a sport or crossover utility vehicle for Jack and his handler. EPD will customize the vehicle with electronic doors, a special cage and seating for Jack, Kaminski said.
Ald. Cheryl Wollin (1st) described the collaboration of businesses, Northwestern and the police department as a “wonderful combination.”
“The wonderful thing about dogs is that they are on duty 24/7,” Wollin said. “They don’t have days off.”
The best part of the program will be the chance to help other police departments, Kaminski said.
“Now that we have a dog, we’ll be able to pay back some people for all the favors that they did for us,” Kaminski said.
Reach Vincent Bradshaw at [email protected].
