Help St. Charles K9 Officer Snag A $5K Grant

ST. CHARLES, IL —The St. Charles Police Department recently swore in a new K-9 named, Saint and is now asking for the public's help in snagging him a grant.

Residents can vote for Saint to be the choice for the $5,000 Aftermath K9 Grant. The money would be used for "his training and care, which helps keep our city safe," according to a post on the city of St. Charles Facebook page.

You can vote for Saint here once a day on Oct. 19 to 26. The AFTERMATH K9 GRANT is open to any law enforcement and first responder K9 program in the United States.

Saint was sworn in to the St. Charles Police Department on Sept 1.. He is a Belgian Malinois and was born in September 2019. His star number is 201 and his handler is Officer Mike Redmann.

What should you do if you see Saint around town? The St. Charles Police Department asks residents not to approach him.

His primary job is to assist officers on calls and he needs to focus, according to the police department website.

"Saint is excited to do his part in helping to keep St. Charles a safe community for all. So if you see him around town, out on a call, at a school, or at the Police Station, please help him stay focused," according to police.

Residents also should not worry if they see Saint alone in a police car since his handler drives a special climate-controlled K-9 squad outfitted with many safety features to keep Saint safe and comfortable at all times.

You’ll often see this vehicle around town and it is easily identifiable as it is marked K-9 and even has an image of Saint on the back, according to police.