Joliet police dogs tough on crime but friendly with public

Police dogs in the Joliet Police Department K-9 unit fight crime and do public relations – occasionally at the same time.

“The dog does become a deterrent,” K-9 Officer Adam Rosales said, noting that a dog can be more intimidating to a perpetrator at times than a police officer than a gun.

Still, once the handcuffs are on, the presence of a dog can create an unusual common ground for arresting officers and suspects.

“They start talking about their dogs,” Rosales said. “It changes the dynamic. It creates a whole new level of rapport.”

This ability to be both churlish and charming when the occasion requires is part of the training for the Joliet Police Department’s squad of five police dogs.

“We put a lot of effort into that because we don’t want everybody to think that they’re just big, bad police dogs,” Rosales said.

“The dogs are a great way for us to communicate.”

—  Officer Adam Rosales, Joliet Police Department K-9 unit

Like good police officers, the dogs can be tough on crime and friendly with the law-abiding public.

The dogs do both jobs well, said Sgt. Bill Otis, who calls upon the dogs to mix with special needs adults at social events.

“It’s been a hit,” said Otis, who invites the K-9 unit to social events for Friends After High School, an organization that supports young adults with disabilities once they graduate.

“These young adults love the K-9s so much,” Otis said.

Perhaps ironically, the dogs help break the ice at a social event much like they do at a crime scene.

Otis said the dogs’ presence at Friends After High School events matters because young adults with disabilities need to get out and socialize.

“We’ve put together five events so far,” he said. “They’ve been at the Moose Lodge. The Moose have bent over backward to help us.”

Being there is one of the duties of the Joliet police dogs, said Rosales.

The K-9 unit brings police dogs to a variety of events around the city.

Police dog Aro, whose skills include being able to search through a school to detect whether explosives are present during a bomb threat, also visits schools in more friendly circumstances.

Rosales recently brought Aro to Joseph E. Fisher School, where he visited “seven classrooms full of kids.”

“The kids got to meet him, pet him, and ask questions about the dog,” Rosales said.

The public is welcome to call the Joliet Police Department if they would like a police dog to come to an event, Rosales said.

If the dogs aren’t busy fighting crime, they are willing to meet with the public and help the police build relations with the community.

“The dogs are a great way for us to communicate,” Rosales said.