Northbrook K9 Comfort Dogs Deployed After Officers Hit By Train

NORTHBROOK, IL — Canine companions from Lutheran Church Charities have been called upon to help any Chicago first responders following the death of of two Chicago police officers in the line of duty Monday night.

Officers Gary Conrad, 31, and Eduardo Marmolejo, 36, were struck and killed by a train Monday night as they investigated a report of gunfire around East 103rd Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood. Police said they were chasing a suspect onto elevated Metra tracks when they were hit by an outbound train.

The Chicago Police Department is mourning its own for the second time in a month. On Nov. 19, officer Samuel Jimenez, 28, was killed by a gunman who also murdered ER doctor Tamara O'Neal and pharmacy resident Dayna Less at Mercy Hospital.

The Northbrook-based charity was called upon Tuesday by the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications to be available to comfort any Chicago police officer, dispatcher or emergency workers after the incident, according to the group.

LCC's K-9 comfort dog program was launched more than 10 years ago to dispatch trained golden retrievers at times of disaster or crisis. The charity currently has more than 130 dogs operating in more than 20 states and volunteers its services, it said.

Related:

• Chicago Officers Likely Didn't See Train That Killed Them
  
• Officers Killed By Train Were Pursuing Shooting Suspect: CPD
  
• Police Officer Struck By Train Grew Up In Oak Lawn