Lake County Sheriff’s K9 Teams Earn Top Honors, Qualify for National Competition

GRAYSLAKE, IL — Two Lake County Sheriff's Office K-9 teams are headed to a national law enforcement competition after earning top honors at a recent regional trial, and officials say the skills tested at the event are the same ones used every day to protect residents.

Deputy First Class Michael Forlenza and K-9 Lux, along with Deputy First Class Matthew Harris and K-9 Zeus, qualified for a national competition after standout performances at the United States Police Canine Association Region 10 field trials.

Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Christopher Covelli said qualifying for the national event is an accomplishment in itself.

"We are certainly hopeful they bring home a national title or two," Covelli told Patch. "Regardless of the outcome, simply qualifying for a national competition demonstrates that these teams operate at an elite level."

Covelli described both teams as highly trained and experienced.

"Deputy Forlenza and K9 Lux, as well as Deputy Harris and K9 Zeus, are highly skilled, experienced teams who are dedicated to serving and protecting the residents of Lake County," he said.

The recognition follows years of ongoing training. After completing eight weeks of basic training, sheriff's office canine teams continue training between four and 12 hours each week, according to Covelli.

The dogs and handlers regularly train in locating missing people, article and evidence searches, narcotics detection and other law enforcement tasks they encounter in the field.

"Participating in these competitions helps ensure our K9 teams remain sharp in the critical skills they use every day," Covelli said. "The trials test obedience, suspect searches, tracking, evidence recovery, narcotics detection, apprehension work and other real-world law enforcement tasks under challenging conditions."

Covelli said competing against some of the nation's top K-9 teams also allows handlers to evaluate their performance, learn new techniques and improve training methods.

Ultimately, he said, the benefits extend directly to the community.

"The same skills that earn recognition at these competitions are the skills used to locate missing people, apprehend dangerous offenders, recover evidence, detect narcotics and help keep Lake County safe," Covelli said.

The national competition is expected to bring together some of the highest-performing police K-9 teams from across the country.