K9 Alpha – Frankfort , Illinois

Died – 4/18/18
Handler – Officer Kevin Lanz

Alpha, Frankfort’s 1st Police Dog, Dies

The Frankfort Police Department is mourning the death of its retired police dog. Alpha was the village’s first K9 officer, and he served on the force from 2006 to 2011, the department announced Thursday. He died April 18. “Alpha faithfully served the community of Frankfort … and we are grateful for his service,” the police department wrote on its Facebook page. “We would like to thank his partner Officer [Kevin] Lanz and his family for the care and companionship they provided Alpha during his years of service, and during his years of retirement. We know he was a loved member of the Lanz family and will be deeply missed. “The German shephard needed to retire in August 2011 because of hip and arthritis issues in his left leg, which forced him to walk with a limp. Alpha also required longer recover times between training and deployment, and the department’s command staff and the dog’s veternarian decided it was best for him to retire. During his time on the force, the K9 worked cases involving drug detection, building searches and locker checks. He also worked with the DARE programs at Frankfort schools and served as a PR representative for the department. “We know that Alpha has done a good job for us. We’ve been very pleased with the results,” Mayor Jim Holland said during a retirement presentation for the dog at a 2011 Village Board meeting in which the dog was given a retirement toy bone. Condolences were offered to the Lanz family on the Frankfort Police Department’s Facebok page. That included posts from Frankfort Township Animal Control Officer Karen Zobjeck and the neighboring Richton Police Department.

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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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