K-9 Unit
About the K-9 Unit
The Campton Hills Police Department’s K-9 Unit was created in 2019. The unit is supervised by his handler Sgt. Levand. Currently, the unit has one officer and one dual-purpose patrol K-9 assigned. Koda is a male German Shepherd from Czechoslovakia who works and lives with Sgt. Levand. The K-9 Unit is 100% funded by the generous support of the community and no Village tax dollars are used to sustain the program. Koda is by far, the most recognized and requested officer in the department.
Check out our fundraiser or follow Koda on Instagram @policek9koda.
Over the last year the K-9 Unit has assisted with 32 calls for service, including lost/missing persons, narcotic searches, violent offender tracks, crowd control and suicidal subjects. The K-9 Unit has aided 12 outside agencies.
In addition the K-9 Unit has taken part in countless presentations and demonstrations, including National Night Out, Boys Scouts, Cub Scouts, Fall Fest, birthday parades and school functions. Koda has attended many special occasions, including final wishes and 100-year-old birthday celebration. The K-9 Unit enjoys taking part in community events and interacting with the citizens, especially the children.
K-9-UNIT PERSONNEL
- Sgt. Levand & K-9 Koda
Certification & Training
Koda is certified annually through TOPS and the State of Illinois in obedience, obstacle course, narcotic search, tracking, article search, handler protection, aggression, area search and cadaver. Due to the canine’s superior sense of smell, hearing, and physical capabilities, a trained law enforcement canine is a valuable asset for a police department to use in order to assist in providing a safe environment for the citizens of the community.
The police K-9’s amazing sense of smell and hearing provides a valuable tool for:
- Narcotic Detection
- Tracking
- Area & Building Searches
- Evidence Discovery
- Cadaver
NARCOTIC PROTECTION
Most police canines are trained to smell for narcotics during searches, including vehicles and buildings. The Campton Hills Police Department K-9 is trained to detect the following:
- Cocaine
- Heroin
- Marijuana
- Methamphetamine
Police K-9’s can be trained to alert to the presence of drugs by either passively or aggressively indicating. The terminology has nothing to do with the demeanor of the dog, but rather the way in which the K-9 alerts its handler to the presence of drugs. Campton Hills Police Department’s K-9 will go into a “aggressive” alert when drugs are detected. This means Koda will dig at the source or location of the drugs. Passive indicating K9’s sit and stare to alert their handler.
TRACKING
The Campton Hills Police Department K-9 is trained and certified in tracking. Police dogs are trained to follow ground disturbances, not odors, and are utilized to track fugitives or lost/missing persons.
BUILDING & AREA SEARCH
A K-9’s amazing sense of smell makes it easier to locate suspects that have attempted to evade police. The Campton Hills Police Department K-9 is utilized to search large areas to save Officers from walking into a potential ambush. The use of a trained K-9 greatly reduces the amount of time and number of officers needed to search an area.
EVIDENCE RECOVERY
A K-9 can detect (scent) recently touched/handled items and alert their handler to the items. The Campton Hills Police Department K-9 is used to recover weapons, stolen items property, and other items. These items are crucial in filing charges against criminals and during court proceedings.
CADAVER
K-9’s trained in cadaver are able to locate and follow the scent of decomposing human flesh. The job is vital to both families of the victims, and to a justice system that often needs a body to prove a crime. Cadaver K-9’s has solved many high-profile cases that would have otherwise gone unsolved. The tragic murder of a University of Illinois Chinese scholar in 2017 was solved with the assistance of a police K-9 trained in cadaver work.
