K9 Utah – DuPage, Illinois

Died – 9/7/16
Handler – Deputy Ken Diebert

DuPage County bomb-sniffing dog remembered as ‘best partner’

The DuPage County sheriff’s office is mourning the loss of its beloved bomb-sniffing dog Utah, a 13-year-old black lab that died Wednesday. “Utah was one of the rarest canines the sheriff’s office has ever had,” Sheriff John Zaruba said in a statement. “He spent his life protecting the citizens of DuPage County in and out of the DuPage County Courthouse until he retired in 2012.” The dog was trained by the ATF to detect more than 19,000 types of explosives, sheriff’s police said. His primary assignment was at the courthouse, though he and handler Deputy Ken Diebert performed numerous other sweeps, including at venues for dignitaries including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Hillary Clinton. “K-9 Utah was a fantastic explosive detection canine, as well as the best partner anyone could ask for,” Diebert said. “Utah crossed the rainbow bridge Wednesday. He will be sorely missed, but his presence will be felt in the hallways of the courthouse forever.”

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Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.
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