DeKalb Police Department’s new narcotics dog is ready for action.

At last month’s DeKalb City Council meeting, the police department announced the arrival of a new police dog.

The dog will be assisting the DPD with narcotics tracking and suspect apprehension in DeKalb. The dog’s primary handler is patrol officer Tom Reilly.

Northern Star: Can you tell me a little about the new police dog?

Tom Reilly: [The dog] is a German Shepherd, male, and he’s 3 years old. His name is Nick.

NS: What is the dog’s job?

TR: Nick is trained in narcotics tracking, protection, building searches and evidence searches. For example, if we were looking for a suspect in a warehouse, [the dog] could easily locate him in a building.

NS: How was the dog trained?

TR: We got the dog from Canine Associates International. I took a seven-week course in K-9 handling.

NS: Does the DeKalb Police Department have other dogs?

TR: Nick is the first dog in the city of DeKalb. But, there are other police dogs with other departments in DeKalb County.

NS: Have there been enough narcotics cases in DeKalb where the dog is necessary?

TR: Yes, there have been plenty of narcotics cases [in DeKalb].

NS: What do the dog handlers do?

TR: We do anything and everything with [the police dog].

NS: Will there be more police dogs on the way?

TR: Possibly in the future. I’d like to see it happen.