K9 Brutus – Oak Brook, Illinois

Died – 7/18/18
Handler – Sgt. Danny Ramirez

Former Oak Brook police dog, Brutus, dies at 14 years old

The Oak Brook Police Department lost a former worker and friend Wednesday when Brutus, a police dog who worked for the department from 2006 to 2012, died. The 14-year-old Brutus was the second patrol canine with which Sgt. Danny Ramirez worked as the handler. When Brutus was retired, Ramirez’s family bought him from the village, which is customary, and he became a family pet. “He was confused at first; he was always used to working,” Ramirez said Thursday. “Eventually, he became a dog, but it was a big adjustment for him.” Ramirez said he formed a strong bond with Brutus over the years. “Everyone who owns a pet has a bond with their pet, but what makes this different is the amount of time you spend together,” Ramirez said. The veteran officer said Brutus was an outstanding police dog. “His drive was to be always working; he loved it,” Ramirez said. “He never gave up, whether it was to find drugs or to track.” Ramirez said one of his favorite memories with Brutus came early on in their partnership. “In one of the first tracks we did, a witness said the suspect went one way, and he kept pulling me the other way,” Ramirez said. “There’s an old saying that you should always trust your dog, and it turned out he knew. The guy was right behind me, hiding, in the other direction from what the witness said.”

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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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