New DuPage Sheriff's K-9 Puppy Has Name With Special Meaning

WHEATON, IL — The DuPage County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) recently added a new K-9 deputy to its force, one with a special name to suit the big responsibility his job holds.

Typically, the sheriff's office posts a callout on social media asking for help to name a new K-9, but that wasn't necessary for this 9-month-old bloodhound, which was named Jake in honor of fallen Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner, 35, who was killed in the line of duty in 2019.

On March 7, 2019, Keltner had been posted outside an Extended Stay hotel in Rockford as marshals tried to arrest Floyd Brown on a warrant. After officers knocked on the door, Brown fired several shots from the room, jumped from a window and fired shots at Keltner, who was hit in the head and back.

After Keltner's death, his wife wrote in a letter shared by the McHenry County Sheriff's Office that he had been"a tough guy but a secret sweetheart."

K-9 Jake will work to live up to his name during a year of training to learn how to track human subjects. Jake even started learning to trail scents before official training began, according to DCSO.

The DuPage County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) is a fitting place for Jake to work, as that's where his namesake got his start, working as a civilian booking officer. The Keltner family's connection to DCSO runs deep. Keltner's father is retired from DCSO and his brother currently works as a lieutenant.

Jake, who was named with the blessing of Keltner's family, will fit right in.

More about Jacob Keltner:

'Hundreds' Of Police Squads Part Of Procession For Deputy Keltner

Deputy Jacob Keltner Recognized During Vigil In Washington, DC

Trial Gets Underway In 2019 Slaying Of Deputy Jacob Keltner

Jacob Keltner's Wife Wants Husband's Killer To Spend Life In Prison