Another K9 Grant Win in the Books for Pekin Police Department

Pekin, Illinois is a small community of 35,000 people, located on the Illinois River in the Peoria metropolitan area. The city is the county seat of Tazewell County; a place where locals proudly call themselves Pekinites. It is also home to K9 Officer Ahen and the Pekin Police Department, 4th place winners of the 2018 K9 Grant. Chief Dossey and Team Ahen are no strangers to the winner’s circle. They were 2nd place winners in 2016 and grand prize winners in the 2017 K9 Grant Competition.

Last month, the Aftermath team caught up with Chief John Dossey, Deputy Chief Don Baxter and Sgt. Rob Jones. They gave an update on their search for a new dog and other developments in the department and the city.

At Home in Pekin

Chief Dossey says the Department continues to be very proud of K9 Officer Ahen: “He’s found missing children and adults, drugs, and suspects. I wouldn’t say any one of those instances is our biggest success; it’s Ahen in general. People love him. He really brings the community together.”

Ahen’s local celebrity has certainly contributed to the department’s winning streak. The community is also very connected through social media, so they shared the contest with friends and family, and posted about it on Twitter and Facebook daily. As everyone loves a good dog tail, local news media picked up the story too, as they have in years previous.

Future Plans for Future Wins

When asked what they plan to do with their $2000 grant, Chief Dossey stated they were still preparing for Ahe’s retirement. Said Dossey: “Ahen is older…we don’t want to push him if he starts to suffer any age-related stress. We want him to be able to retire happy and healthy so he can enjoy eating cheese puffs on the couch.”

The dog would occupy a similar role as a community liaison, and be trained in narcotics detection. Chief Dossey said they are now considering a labrador, but are thinking of other breeds as well. “We’re open to finding the perfect match. We just want the best working dog for our community,” Dossey state in an interview last year.

Chief Dossey said the department plans to enter the K9 Grant competition again next year, and they’re looking forward to aiming for the grand prize yet again. “We plan to keep building on some great business relationships we’ve developed with local companies like Pekin Insurance Company. We’re hoping this strategy will earn us another win.”

Stay up-to-date with Ahen and the rest of the Pekin PD year-round on their Facebook or by following them on Twitter at @PekinPolice.

Aftermath Services LLC proudly recognizes the contributions made by K9 officers and their partners. In an effort to provide law enforcement with access to this valuable resource, Aftermath created the annual K9 grant to help offset the cost of creating or maintaining a K9 program. For more information on trauma cleaning services, or to learn more about the relationship between Aftermath and law enforcement, call 877-698-6169 or visit www.aftermath.com.