(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A new police K-9 has joined the Lake County Illinois Sheriff’s Office.
Ryker, a 2-year-old male German Shepherd, has been assigned to Deputy Craig Somerville, whose previous K-9 partner, Diesel, died of cancer. The pair have completed basic training.
“While we know Canine Diesel can never be replaced, we know Canine Ryker will have a very successful career being partnered with Deputy Somerville,” Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a news release. “I continually hear from the community how much they value our canines, and we are striving to have the most robust canine program in the region.”
The department already has gotten frequent media attention through the exploits of K-9 Dax. The animal has been at the center of several successful police efforts, such as finding missing people.
Ryker joins Dax and fellow K-9s Duke, Danno and Boomer. The police dogs are deployed for a variety of scenarios that include searching for suspects who have fled crime scenes and detecting drugs.
The canine teams assist local police departments and appear at community events, at school presentations and neighborhood gatherings.
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