The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About97-150 Resolution No. 97-150 RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE PROPOSAL OF T.O.P.S. FOR A POLICE CANINE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, that Robert O. Malm, Interim City Manager, be and is hereby authorized and directed to accept the proposal on behalf of the City of Elgin of T.O.P.S . for a police canine, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part hereof by reference. s/ Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly, Mayor Presented: May 28, 1997 Adopted: May 28, 1997 Omnibus Vote: Yeas 7 Nays 0 Attest: s/ Dolonna Mecum Dolonna Mecum, City Clerk . l D KENNELS 1460 E. Belvidere Rd. Grayslake, II- 60030 (708) 223-2822 Re: K-9 Training Proposal • Dear The T.O.P.S. K-9 program is divided into two stages: 1. Pre-training- 12 weeks, canine only; and 2. Canine team training-8 weeks, handler and canine. In the first stage, we will locate a male German Shepherd between 8 months and 24 months of age, which will be given a complete physical (including hip x-rays). Upon passing the veterinarian's physical, the 12 week in-kennel pretraining is begun. At the conclusion of the 12 week period, the canine will do on and off lead obedience and handler protection. The canine will also have the basics of building, area, and article searches,tracking, narcotics detection, and the obstacle, agility, confidence course. The second stage is the 380 hour, 8 week program at T.O.P.S, teaching the canine and handler to work together. All the pretraining phases learned by the canine are incorporated into these eight weeks until the two function as a team. Of the 380 hours of the course, 77 hours are devoted to class time introducing each of the canine team areas, as well as learning about canine medical care and feeding, court preparation and testimony, use of reports and record keeping, and the legal aspects of deploying a canine. Tre cost of the program is $8,000.00,which includes the pre-trained dog, the handler/dog training, and all equipment and notebooks. Further certification may be obtained through the North American Police Work Dog Association. All programs are registered through and payment made to North East Multi Regional Training Center(NEMRT)in Aurora, Illinois, not to T.O.P.S. Kennels. After the K-9 team has completed training, we recommend maintenance training on I a regular basis so that the canine team may work at optimum.capability. Individual training at our facility will be billed at $40.00 per hour, and local group • • Page 2 • K-9 Training Proposal training will be billed at$30.00 per session. A monthly fee which includes one , evening session per week and a narcotics session each Saturday morning is billed at $200.00 per month. We will also have several quarterly 3 or 4 day seminars offered by NEMRT to keep the team proficient. There is no charge for the first year of seminars attended upon completion of the program and a minimal charge thereafter. For additional information, please contact Dave Knouse(police training coordinator) at(847) 272-9584,or Alex or Paula Rothacker(owners of T.O.P.S. Kennels)at(847)223-2822. To register for any of the above programs, please call NEMRT at(847) 896-8860, • The following law enforcement agencies are or have utilitzed a T.O.P.S. trained canine: Rosemont(13) McHenry(1) Bartlett(1) Lake County Sheriff(11) Genoa(1) • Buffalo Grove(I) Highland Park(1) Montgomery (1) Hebron(1) Norridge(1) Glencoe(1) Carpentersville (1) Grayslake (1) Wheeling(2) North Chicago (1) Lincolnwood(1) U.S, Veterans Richmond(1) Administration(10) Aurora (1) Elgin(2) Franklin Park(2) Waukegan(2) • Skokie(1) Des Plaines(1) Thank you for inquiring about our K-9 training. Please do not hesitate to call us if' you have any questions or if we can be of further assistance. • Sincere Alex Rothacker M DS KENNELS 1460 E. Belvidere Rd. Grayslake, IL 60030 (847) 223-2822 James J. Burns, Deputy Chief of Administration Elgin Police Department 151 Douglas Avenue Elgin, Illinois 60120 April 16, 1997 Dear Deputy Chief Burns, I have been informed by Sergeant Duffy, K-9 Unit, there is a need to have a breakout of the costs associated with the proposed purchase of a Canine and the training for the team. Therefore, T.O.P.S. Kennels has provided the following associated costs as requested: Purchase of Male German Shepard Dog $ 3,100.00 Training Costs (Patrol/Narcotic Detection) certified by Illinois State Training Board $ 4,900.00 TOTAL $ 8,000.00 Should you desire any further information or further documentation please contact me at your leisure. Sincerely, " David C. Knouse Police Training Director T.O.P.S. Kennels 141'Accepted by the City of Elgin Date 3�}1g7 . f- , `\Sy OF FtC/� Clty of Elgin Agenda Item No. May 5, 1997 TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Robert 0. Malm, Interim City Manager SUBJECT: Replacement of Canine PURPOSE The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Mayor and members of the City Council with information for the procurement of a replacement police canine. BACKGROUND In May of 1991, the Police Department purchased a male German Shepard (Drago) . This dog was the first canine to work in the Elgin Police Department and he has been trained and actively working on the afternoon watch since 1991 . In December of 1996, the Elgin Police Department became aware of a serious medical problem with Drago. Drago has been diagnosed with kidney disease and is no longer fit for police work. Ownership of Drago should be passed to Officer Mazzola to maintain as a family pet. Due to his training, Drago would not be an appropriate pet for any other individual . The Police Department has investigated possible sources for a replacement and has identified our current canine training facility (T.O.P.S. ) as the most desirable source of a replace- ment canine. T.O.P.S. has been training canines for the Elgin Police Department since the inception of the program ( 1992) . They have conducted training in Elgin and they are familiar with Elgin and our employees . Both of our past dogs were supplied and trained by T.O.P.S. A price for a replacement dog, including training, is $8,000. We also solicited pricing from another kennel known as a supplier of police canine dogs. The kennel, Rudy Drexler in Elkhart, Indiana, has proposed a price of $8,400 and would require the handler to reside in a hotel in Elkhart for three weeks during the training for an additional cost of approxi- mately $1,400. eft Replacement of Police Canine May 5, 1997 Page 2 COMMUNITY GROUPS/INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACTED In addition to the crime prevention and suppression duties, the Canine Unit is a very popular attraction for area service clubs and organizations . FINANCIAL IMPACT The cost for a replacement canine is $8,000. Sufficient funds exist in the following accounts to pay for this purchase: Purchase of the dog ($3, 100) from account No. 010-2308-731 . 17-18, Minor Equipment and the training cost ($4 ,900) from account No. 010-2302-731 . 36-01, Training. O(LEGAL IMPACT None. ALTERNATIVES The City Council can choose not to replace the canine and the department will function without an afternoon canine unit until re-submitted in the 1998 budget process . RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council authorize the purchase of a replacement canine from T.O.P.S. and the transfer of ownership of Drago to Officer Mazzola. Respectfully submitted, @ILaA449k„)1WL) Charles A. Gruber C. ' - •f Police 40/OP Rob-rt O. Malm In erim City Manager RD/jb Attachment r