Officer Sem | Contributed photo
Officer Sem | Contributed photo
A new police dog, Sem, recently joined the K-9 Unit of the Elk Grove Village Police Department. Sem, 3, is a Belgian Malinois from the Netherlands. One year ago, he began his police service-dog training in the U.S.
Sem and his handler, Officer Eric Perkins of the Elk Grove Village police force, finished a special six-week training course at the Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana, in March.
Sem steps in to take over for K-9 officer Kim, 11, also a Belgian Malinois, which retired after 7.5 years of service to the community. In the past seven years, Kim, along with officer Steve O'Neill, responded to more than 2,000 incidents, resulting in 166 arrests. Because of Kim's work, narcotics worth nearly $225,000 have been confiscated.
Kim and O’Neill won two first-place medals in narcotics detection at the International Canine Olympics.
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