Died – 9\/26\/18
\nHandler – Officer Pablo Torres<\/p>\n
Retired Kenosha police dog Chico dies<\/p>\n
Chico, the police dog that helped reinstate the Kenosha Police Department K-9 program before retiring in 2016, died recently. Kenosha Police was without a K-9 program for 15 years when the decision was made to reinstate the program. Chico was imported from the Netherlands and then purchased from a Pennsylvania kennel specializing in police service dogs. Detective Peter Deates, president of the Kenosha Professional Police Association, said Chico died Sept. 26 of a canine disease called bloat. Because of the dog\u2019s age \u2014 he was nearly 12 \u2014 a veterinarian said he had poor chances of recovering from surgery, Deates said. A decision was made to euthanize him. Chico was purchased in July 2008 and matched with his handler, Officer Pablo Torres. On the dog\u2019s first day on the job in December 2008 he alerted police to a vehicle containing cocaine valued at $13,000. Deates said during the years he was active with the department, Chico was involved in nine criminal apprehensions and recovered evidence, including weapons, during searches. In January 2009, Chico sniffed out more than 2.5 pounds of heroin worth over $200,000. \u201cChico basically resurrected the K-9 program here,\u201d Deates said, adding the dog became well-known in the community through frequent demonstrations at schools, clubs and community events. \u201cChico and Pablo were the face of the K-9 program, and they did so many demonstrations over a 10-year period.\u201d Torres later became a controversial figure in the community when he was involved in two on-duty shootings, one fatal. The shootings were ruled justified. He was promoted to detective in 2016, and Chico retired, remaining with Torres\u2019 family after retirement. \u201cHe\u2019s your partner, and once he retires he stays with you as your family dog,\u201d Deates said. Torres now works with another K-9, Manny, using the dog primarily for drug searches as a detective, Deates said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 9\/26\/18 Handler – Officer Pablo Torres Retired Kenosha police dog Chico dies Chico, the police dog that helped reinstate the Kenosha Police Department K-9 program before retiring in 2016, died recently. Kenosha Police was without a K-9 program for 15 years when the decision was made to reinstate the program. Chico was imported …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-5869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-wi"],"yoast_head":"\n