K-9 Mike dies of cancer
Elk Grove Police Dog responsible for more than
500 arrests and 3,500 calls.
by Patrick Corcoran
It was a one-of-a-kind salute to a unique dog and dog handler.
With sixteen energetic K-9 units from various suburban and northern Illinois police agencies barking and yipping, Elk Grove Village officials saluted the village's retiring K-9, Mike, and his handler for the past seven years, police officer Matt FioRito.   Mike, who was the village's first police dog, was forced into semi-retirement because of cancer in December. Because of the quick-spreading disease, FioRito and police administrators decided to have a veterinarian put Mike to sleep Dec. 27. The 11-year-old Belgian (shepherd) malinois worked up to the end. He was with FioRito at a post-Christmas roadside checkpoint on Dec. 26. Mostly he visited with the officers on duty. Two weeks earlier, just before he was diagnosed with cancer, Mike chased down three prowlers in the process of committing a burglary in the Elk Grove industrial park. He caught the men two blocks from where they were first spotted, hiding in some bushes.    Police Chief Steve Schmidt said the decision to put him to sleep was made when the dog's kidneys shut down and he refused to eat.  Schmidt said Mike's final arrests are a perfect example of the abilities the dog provided for the department.   "The dog's senses are a million times more sensitive than a human being's. How many man-hours would it have taken to catch those guys? When we go into that kind of situation, we try to secure the area, but you only have so many men to secure an area that can get to be pretty large," he said.  The statistics compiled by the police department speak volumes about Mike's ability to sniff out drugs and track criminals. Between April 1996 and December 2003, Mike was responsible for 566 arrests initiated by FioRito and assisted in 298 more. He also had a role in the confiscation of 93,924 grams of marijuana, 741 grams of cocaine, 801 grams of heroin, 34 grams of methamphetamines, 65 grams of LSD, and 17 grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms. The net total of cash and vehicles confiscated as a result of K-9-related arrests was $95,600.   In all, FioRito and Mike responded to 3,500 calls, including 289 in neighboring communities such as Arlington Heights, which doesn't have a police dog, and Schaumburg.
Schmidt said the dog was not only extremely useful in crime fighting, but also beloved by the community.    He's definitely going to be missed. He was very good with the kids at schools and was very recognizable. Mike always walked right behind me during the night parade in June, and it was fun to hear kids and adults talk about our dog," Schmidt said. Schmidt said he received a sympathy card Tuesday and expects the outpouring from the community to continue once word gets out that Mike was put to sleep. The police department still has one K-9 dog, Pack, who was named by children in the community. Plans are in place to acquire a new police dog, but it could take months before the dog is paired up with a partner on the police force. The cost of a new dog ranges from $8,500 to $12,000.  "It takes a lot of dedication on the part of the dog's handler and the dog. It's a big commitment, but we're looking forward to getting a new dog, too," Schmidt said.

submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA