North Chicago City Council Approves Second K-9 Unit for Police Department

The North Chicago City Council has approved the purchase of a used police vehicle to support the creation of a second K-9 unit for the North Chicago Police Department.

The department currently operates one K-9 unit, but officials say the dog is nearing retirement and is expected to remain in service for only another two to three years.

Because police K-9s typically require about a year of training before becoming fully operational and certified, the department requested funding in this fiscal year's budget to begin building a second K-9 team. While the purchase of a police dog was approved, the department still needed a suitable vehicle.

To meet that need, the City Council approved the purchase of a 2021 Ford Police Utility vehicle from the Village of Melrose Park for $20,000. The vehicle has approximately 67,000 miles and is already equipped with an EZ K9 transport system.

City officials noted that while the vehicle itself is valued at about $16,800, the installed EZ K9 system is valued at approximately $8,852, bringing the combined value to roughly $25,652.