Meet Axel: Deerfield High Student Names Newest Police K-9

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The two newest members of the Lake County Sheriff's Office now officially have names. Between March 4 and March 25, students from Lake County submitted their suggested names for K-9s. Nearly 400 kids submitted their preferred name for the canines.

Sheriff John D. Idleburg and the Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Unit announced the names and winners of the contest Thursday. The names selected for our two newest K-9s are Axel and Echo. Deerfield High School sophomore Ethan Jacobs, as well as Vernon Hills Hawthorn Middle School sixth-graders Matthew Prigorenko and Carson Alper, selected the name Axel. Millburn Elementary School Kindergartener Charlotte Regner selected the name Echo. All four students will be invited to participate in Echo & Axel’s swearing-in ceremony in late-June, following the completion of the initial training.

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Deputy Tyler Girmscheid was partnered with Echo and Deputy Kevin Gauer was partnered with Canine Axel, according to police. The two deputies and their new canine partners are completing an intense eight-week initial training program at Tops K9 in Grayslake. The training consists of canine psychology, obedience, agility, tracking, scent detection, and more.

=“We always enjoy getting the youth involved in various aspects of our office and I have to say, the names they submitted were terrific," Idelberg said. "Some of the submissions had inspiring meaning behind the names, and some of the submissions had us chuckling. We are looking forward to having Ethan, Matthew, Carson, and Charlotte join us at their swearing-in ceremony.”

Axel and Echo join their other sheriff’s K-9 partners Dax, Duke, Danno, Ryker, and Boomer to bring the total number of Lake County Sheriff’s K-9s to seven.